IMG 6865 Birmingham's first CBD Store on 280 is thriving, with a new store in Trussville planned — CBD Store staff. BJ Autry in the center. Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

Back in July, Bham Now published a story about Birmingham’s first CBD oil store that opened on Highway 280 by the Bailey Brothers Music store near Inverness.

All the products sold at the CBD Store are Cannabidiol or CBD based, which is derived from the cannabis plant. The CBD products are not the same as marijuana and are sold in many forms, including oils, skin creams, edibles resembling popular candies, pet treats and even bath bombs.

Store closed and reopened

Screen Shot 2018 07 26 at 3.43.05 PM Birmingham's first CBD Store on 280 is thriving, with a new store in Trussville planned — CBD Store showroom. Photo courtesy of Kayla Williams.

In November, the store was closed and the owner BJ Autry was arrested because Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall had interpreted from his reading of the law that the products were not legal in Alabama.

Just a few weeks after the store was closed, the U.S. Congress clarified the law concerning the sale of CBD products nationwide through amendments in the new 2018 Farm Bill that passed in December and was signed into law by President Trump.

“The law was admittedly grey before, but they (U.S. Congress) clarified it in the 2018 Farm Bill that was passed through Congress,” said Autry. “They made it black and white – clear – that CBD from industrial hemp is legal in the state of Alabama.”

Immediately after the Farm Bill became law, Attorney General Marshall came out with a press conference and sent out a memo confirming the legality of CBD stores. Autry’s CBD store off 280 displays Marshall’s memo in the window of the store.

IMG 6868 Birmingham's first CBD Store on 280 is thriving, with a new store in Trussville planned — Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

Giving people relief

Now that the law has been clarified, Autry and his staff are focused on providing CBD products that give people relief from pain and suffering.

“If you sit here all day long. You’ll see 100 people come in and out of the store all day long from different walks of life, different ailments, from anxiety, cancer, MS, fibromyalgia, lupus, the list goes on and on. They are telling us they are finally finding relief,” added Autry.

Store coming to Trussville

According to Autry, in just nine months 167 CBD stores have opened nationwide, including 31 in the state of Florida. Autry has told Bham Now, he plans to open a store in Trussville soon and is looking to locate stores in Alabaster and Southside Birmingham.