A new store in Columbia, part of a chain that also has locations in Kansas City, Springfield and Joplin, is raising the question of whether a hemp extract extolled for its benefits to epilepsy patients can be sold legally to anyone.
CBD American Shaman on Range Line Street just south of Interstate 70 isn’t the only store in Columbia with products containing cannabidiol, commonly called CBD, but it is the first store that makes the extract its main business. A sign with a green cross—a symbol also used by medical marijuana dispensaries in states where it is legal—alerts passers-by to its presence in the small strip mall.
The owner of one company licensed to produce and sell under a 2014 state law said in an interview this week that three letters to Attorney General Josh Hawley complaining about the unlicensed sales have received little response.
“We gave them all the photos, all the info, all the regulations, and nothing has happened,” said Mitch Meyer of BeLeaf Company of Earth City. “We have followed up two times over the last two months.”
If the product is legal without a license, that needs to be made clear, Meyer said. She’s trying to protect BeLeaf’s investment in growing space, testing labs and a sales office that is seeking to provide a legal product to a very limited clientele.
Top image: © Olegmalyshev | Dreamstime.com
