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UK: We spoke to the man selling cannabis oil in Exeter who had a visit by the police the day before Anita Merritt Devon Live Saturday 30 Mar 2019 Selling cannabidiol (CBD) oil has become a big business to get into now that it’s becoming widely accepted the life-changing health benefits it can offer, but misconceptions around it are still proving challenging to overcome as an Exeter shop owner found this week. Just a day after a police raided ‘cannabis shop’ the Holy Smoke in Plymouth, Ondrej Hejda, who opened Devon Hemp in Exeter around three months ago, was visited by police. The informal visit was sparked by questions raised by members of Exeter City Council who were unsure about what the premises is selling and the 37-year-old was happy to show police how he specialises in offering high quality hemp food supplements. Ondrej, who used to own the Head Shop in City Arcade before planning permission was given to turn the area into student flats, is hoping to start growing and processing his own hemp at a friend’s farm in Devon to make it a locally-sourced product. Within the next few months he is also planning to host educational workshops in the shop to bust the myths surrounding CBD. Ondrej said: “When I had to move the business I decided to specialise in hemp products. Even in my old shop I was into hemp and now it has become legal and more people know that people have started to realise how beneficial it is I have chosen to sell it as a food supplement.” Customers can pop into the shop in Market Street, next to Exeter Exotics, for a tea, coffee or freshly-baked cookies or brownies containing CBD extract. Its most popular product is its CBD pure raw extract (66 per cent) costing £30 and typically lasts around 20 days. Its next bestseller is its CBD vape liquid, followed by its brownies which Ondrej makes himself. Other products include balms and CBD sweets. CBD: The facts What is CBD oil? Government advisers at the MHRA made it legal to buy cannabidiol (CBD) oil in 2016 after they admitted that it has a ‘restoring, correcting or modifying’ effect on humans. Suppliers in England and Wales have to obtain a licence to sell it as a medicine, following the decision in October two years ago. Manufacturers are able to avoid the strict regulation by selling it as a food supplement - ignoring the lengthy process of gaining a medicinal licence. CBD products comes in many forms, the most popular being an oil - which users spray under their tongue - or gel tablets which melt slowly in the mouth. Cannabis oil, which is different to CBD oil because it contains THC - the compound that gives users a 'high' - is illegal under UK laws. Billy Caldwell, from Castlederg, Northern Ireland, made headlines last April when he became the first Briton to be prescribed it on the NHS. Cannabis oil, which reportedly has no side effects, influences the release and uptake of ‘feel good’ chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. Is it legal? Yes. Because CBD does not contain the psychoactive ingredient THC, it is entirely legal to buy and take CBD supplements in the UK. And because CBD is a legal ingredient, it is not tested for in drug tests used to detect illegal drugs. Suppliers have to obtain a licence to sell it as a medicine. But manufacturers are able to avoid regulation by selling it as a food supplement - ignoring the lengthy process of gaining a medicinal licence. However, cannabis oil, which contains THC - the compound that gives users a 'high' - is illegal under UK laws. Home Secretary Sajid Javid's announcement in July that medicinal cannabis will be available on prescription from this autumn opened the door for oils to be given the green light if approved by the drug regulator. Sativex, a mouth spray which contains THC and CBD, is already approved for use in the UK by the MHRA as a treatment for multiple sclerosis. Is it addictive? No, CBD is not addictive. An addiction to marijuana can develop as a severe form of 'marijuana use disorder', which affects an estimated 30 per cent of marijuana users. This develops out of a person's dependence on the psychoactive effects of THC – the ingredient in the marijuana plant which causes a high and results in withdrawal symptoms. CBD comes from an entirely different plant – the hemp plant – that contains only trace amounts of THC which are not enough to cause a high. Instead, CBD works by enhancing the effects of other brain chemicals such as serotonin and anandamide. It does not activate the receptors that make marijuana psychoactive and addictive. In fact, the effects of cannabidiol are opposite to those of THC and can actually block some of the psychoactive effects of THC, which is why CBD is added to medical forms of marijuana prescribed to treat certain disorders. Is CBD oil safe? CBD oil is recognised as safe and well-tolerated in healthy people, with few side effects. A World Health Organization report has confirmed it does not have any potential for abuse or to cause harm, and it is therefore not classed as a controlled substance. The Cannabis Trades Association UK recommends that CBD should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18. Ondrej said: “Hemp is a very versatile plant and when you start reading up on it you find out how civilisations have grown up with it throughout the history of mankind. What I want to do is spread the information about it and educate people because there is a lot of misinformation out there. “A lot of people connect it with using drugs and you’re a pot head if you take it, but hemp is different because it’s very, very beneficial to the body and you don’t get high. You also can’t overdose on it and it’s not addictive. “There are a lot of cowboys on the market and the CBD industry has been let down by drugs purchased in the high street or online by products that are not good quality. “We sell hemp extract under our own label – Devon Hemp – and it is different from what you find in high street health food shops because is stronger which is important to give the benefits it should. "You can take it orally or put it in foods. It does have quite a herby, earthy taste. My preference is to have it in coffee. “We can’t say it’s a medical product, but it is known to have those properties. My customers range from people who have Parkinson’s to people with toothache who take it instead of painkillers. “Other people take it for reasons including anxiety, inflammatory problems, skin problems, stress-related problems and depression. “I’ve seen many times how it can change peoples’ lives. One of my customers is a woman with breast cancer who was on all sorts of painkillers for years and now she is off them all and can live her life to the full since taking hemp. “I’m also a good example myself. I was suffering from depression and I haven’t had problems with it since I’ve been using it as a food supplement daily. I was very surprised the difference it made. “The people who walk through my door come from the whole spectrum of society. It’s a very rewarding job because you see how it helps people with whatever problems they have. We have a very positive vibe in here.” https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/spoke-man-selling-cannabis-oil-2700349
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