RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) - When you step inside the new Hemp Farmacy in downtown Raleigh, you might feel like you just walked into a marijuana dispensary in Colorado or Oregon, but employees insist nothing on their shelves will get customers stoned.
“Me personally, I always thought there was a little more to cannabis than just getting high,” said store manager, Joe Lupton.
The CBD store is one of the first of its kind in Wake County. Customers can find everything from cannabis-infused teas, to lotions, oils, smokeables, candies, and even treats to help calm anxious pets.
Lupton says CBD can be used for pain management. It’s a sleep aid and helps people who suffer from anxiety.
“We’ve had people use it for autoimmune deficiency, certain discomforts they might get from cancer,” Lupton said. “It’s honestly easier to tell you what people have not used it for.”
Some of their products might look like marijuana, but don’t be fooled, they won’t get people high.
The products they sell are hemp, the other plant in the cannabis family.
THC is the chemical in marijuana that gets users high. The marijuana people can buy on the street or in a dispensary is typically around 20 percent THC. The THC content in products from the Hemp Farmacy is only 0.3 percent.
In 2015, Governor Pat McCrory signed a hemp extract bill into law in an effort to help people with intractable epilepsy.
Chris Sawyer suffers from ADHD, anxiety, and depression. He says he’s been taking multiple prescription medications for years.
“CBD, I think, has less side effects,” said Sawyer.
He says he and his girlfriend decided to try something more holistic and so far they have not been disappointed.
“We’ve actually used the cannabis and we’ve actually noticed our moods have been better,” said Sawyer. “We’re a lot cheerier. We’re less stressed out. We seem to be very happy.”
Customers must be at least 18 to shop at the Hemp Farmacy. Lupton says they plan on opening up another store in Fayetteville at the end of August.