MADISON — For those in Madison who struggle with pain, anxiety, epilepsy or a host of other health issues, a new store offers a potential solution in its wide range of CBD products.

Your CBD Store, a franchise in a national chain of more than 200 stores, arrived in Madison earlier this month and has already been seeing some success.

“We’ve had a pretty good response so far,” said owner Harley Kenney, who also owns two other stores: one in Decatur and another in Fayetteville, Tennessee. “It’s picking up and getting steadier.”

Several new CBD stores are popping up in Alabama since the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, better known as the “farm bill,” passed in mid-December 2018. According to an article from The Washington Post, one of the provisions under the bill legalized agricultural production of hemp by removing the plant from the federal controlled substances list.

In a 2012 article published by The Royal Society, Brazilian scientists and professors state that CBD—the more commonly used term for cannabidiol—accounts for up to 40 percent of the extracted contents from marijuana. Unlike THC, however, CBD has no psychoactive properties that make the user “high.” Hemp plants differ from marijuana in that they have higher levels of CBD and lower levels of THC.

(Record Photo/Kendyl Hollingsworth)

“There’s not a single artificial thing at all,” Kenney explained. “It’s just a holistic, natural way to get some relief from the issues people are having. I can’t make a medical claim … but all our customers say it helped some with pain or arthritis. It helps them with anxiety and stress.”

Kenney also noted that using CBD products will not cause the user to fail a drug screening.

While the CBD products at Your CBD Store are not medical-grade—and therefore need no prescription from a doctor—franchise owner Harley Kenney said several of his customers have reported that the products they bought to help with an issue made a noticeable difference in their symptoms.

Kenney recalled a family that came in on opening day looking for products to help their wheelchair-bound daughter. “She was having 300 seizures a month, and after she started using CBD, she got it down to, like, five. They were huge proponents of it and major believers.”

Personally, Kenney said he has experienced pain relief through CBD pain cream, which he described as a topical cream that can help with pulled muscles, sore joints and the like. Having played football in high school and having several surgeries on his knee since then, the cream helps him deal with the pain that comes with that.

(Record Photo/Kendyl Hollingsworth)

Prior to opening his CBD stores, Kenney said he worked in a different industry. He and a few of his friends began considering other options, and a couple friends had already left their jobs to open CBD stores. “They kind of called us and were telling us how great they were doing and how they were helping people, and if you can help people and make a living at the same time, I feel like that’s a good idea.”

After researching CBD and its potential benefits, as well as going to the stores and talking to others who use CBD products, Kenney said he decided it was something he wanted to be a part of.

Now the owner of three CBD stores in the region, Kenney offers a wide variety of CBD products to appeal to a wide variety of people.

Anxiety and pain are the two most common issues Kenney’s customers are looking to solve. While most are familiar with CBD oils, Your CBD Store carries several other types of products, including bath bombs, soap, lotion, coffee, tea, honey, candy, chocolate bars and clearomizers, to name a few.

“The tinctures—the oil you drop on your tongue—those are by far the most popular,” Kenney said. “The gummies are real popular, too.”

It’s not only people who can partake, though—dogs and cats can have their own special CBD treats as well.

“That’s a big seller,” Kenney said. “It’s one of those things, though, where it’s kind of a special niche because not everybody that comes in has a pet, and not everybody that has a pet has a need, but the people that have pets that are looking for some relief for them, they all love it. Everybody comes back and buys more.”

There are several potential benefits of CBD for pets, some of which include reducing anxiety, improving circulation, promoting bone growth and inhibiting cancer cell growth.

Dog treats, cat treats and pet tinctures are available as well. (Record Photo/Kendyl Hollingsworth)

Kenney said his dog will sometimes have a CBD treat after they go for a long weekend of hunting, but he has seen great results with the treats in his mother’s lapdogs. “Both came from a rescue thing, and they, like, lose their mind when they go to get groomed, so she gives it to them to help them relax and chill out before they go get groomed … or if they freak out during a storm, she gives it to them then, and they do real well with it,” he said.

CBD treats can also help older pets who are stiff or suffer from arthritis, Kenney added.

Whatever issue people—or pets—may be struggling with, Kenney encourages those who are interested in trying CBD to come in for help finding the best product to meet their needs. Your CBD Store is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. They are located at 8760 Madison Boulevard, Suite H, near Dirt Cheap.

To learn more about the chain, visit cbdrx4u.com.