CityView Magazine

26 | January/February 2019 In pain management, Shah said CBD has an anti-inflammatory effect. "ey apply it on affected areas and for whatever reason, they feel much better," he said. Direct application of the product to areas of pain is one method of delivery Shah is aware of. Others include putting drops of CBD oil underneath the tongue or smoking it in an electronic cigarette. Shah said of the three methods, from what he's heard from those who use CBD, the people who ingest CBD via vaping seem to get the most benefit. Shah said his opinion on the use of CBD, as well as medical marijuana, has changed over the past three years and he's now more in favor of seeing the laws in North Carolina change to permit people who are interested to be able to legally purchase and use medical marijuana. He thinks the key decisions that need to be made are who are the right candidates to use legal medical marijuana and what limits should be set on dosage. He sees both CBD and medical marijuana, if approved, as better alternatives to dealing with pain than opioids. "ey are using it whether I agree with it or not," Shah said of those opting to try CBD and medical marijuana. "e problem is, people do things in excess and they come back worse." Another issue, both for CBD oil now and medical marijuana should it be approved in North Carolina, is how to establish quality control rules for the companies that sell it. "I don't even know who's making it," Shah said. "I don't know who's controlling it." Another issue: What's a safe dose? While he can't prescribe it and Brenda Harris, Apple Crate's owner, added CBD products to her store's array of natural foods, supplements, health and beauty items and other products in 2015. Raymond and Tiffany Toler opened the city's first Hemp Farmacy on Person Street last summer. Part of a small but growing North Carolina- based chain, its entire focus is on hemp-based products, including hemp extracts in tinctures, topicals, edibles, flowers, shatter, dabs, wax and more.

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