Police: buy CBD products at your own risk

Many people in eastern Iowa are excited about a possible treatment for common aches and pains. The U.S. Farm Bill legalized the production of industrial hemp and farmers on a national level are bracing for an economic boom. But Iowa lawmakers still need to decide if the state will feel the benefits of that boom.

According to the state, what Rebecca Ramker is selling isn't allowed yet. She's opened up her fifth store in five months because what she's selling has an eager market. At each one, people can get products in CBD form from edible gummies to dog treats.

"You don't need a prescription to come and get it," said Ramker. "It's all natural and there's just a very few things ways to use it."

Ramker said some clients find benefits from anxiety to arthritis but she opened her doors after seeing it help her family.

"We originally started it because my daughter-in-law was having 15 to 20 seizures a month but now she hasn't had a seizure since August," said Ramker.

Iowa City police are warning the public: buyers beware. Iowa City Police Sergeant Derek Frank said, regardless of how beneficial it could be, it's still against the law. He said it doesn't matter if the Farm Bill allows products with less than .3 percent THC.

Frank said until lawmakers decide a permanent solution, they're following what the Department of Public Health said: the only exception is if the person has a medical marijuana license. Frank said those buying these products now should be careful.

"If the stores are opening up and people are going there as customers and purchasing, they're doing that at their own risk, if they don't have a permit from the state," said Frank.

Ramker said CBD could be the treatment of the future if lawmakers allow it.

"There's people getting addicted to opiates, so that's really what we're trying to get away from," said Ramker.

Cannabidiol is a marijuana or hemp plant extract. In the oil or cream form, users say they get medicinal benefits without the "high" from marijuana, due to its low content of THC, the chemical that causes that high. Some researchers say cannabidiol, or CBD, can relieve pain, inflammation and even help people with other serious medical problems. But the results are mixed.

TV-9 also reached out to Cedar Rapids police about the legality of it and they said they're also following criminal code but couldn't give any specifics at this time.

You can find the press release for the Department of Health at the link on the side panel.