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Cannabidiol products grow in popularity in East TN

Sean Franklin # State
 cbd

Knoxville — A form of cannabis is growing in popularity in East Tennessee.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, comes from the cannabis plant. But it doesn't get you high.

Stores are popping up, including one in Lenoir City that just opened Saturday.

The owner of Pure Wellness, Crystal Earls, says the grand opening was a big success.

She went nearly out of stock on plenty of items.

"They try it, and they start feeling relaxed, and it's helping them,"
Earls said.

They have creams, gummies, oil, pre-rolled CBD--there's only trace amounts of THC, which is the active ingredient in marijuana.

"It comes from the Cannabis plant, but it's from a different part of the plant, the part that--it's all the good benefits of it, without the psychological effects,"
Earls said.

There are benefits like reducing chronic pain and helping with anxiety or stress.

"There are customers that come in that are skeptical about it,"
Earls said.
"Like, we have suckers and gummies and all that, they're like, it's not really going to work, until they try it."

But if you are going to try it, Belew Drugs pharmacist Brandon Lock says you should talk to your pharmacist about it.

CBD products can interact badly with other medicine.

"All of those drugs are going to be increased, and thereby maybe increase and cause some significant side effects to your normal medication,"
Lock said.

He says you may want to stay away if you're taking a drug test soon.

"If you're taking a full spectrum, trace amounts of THC, CBD product, you may have that THC show up in a urine screen,"
Lock said.
"You have to know, that may be the case."

Lock also says studies show CBD products can effectively treat neurological disorders.

The FDA approved the first CBD-based drug for epilepsy last month.