Some products containing extracts of cannabidiol, a chemical found in hemp, can again be sold in Catoosa County stores, according to a court ruling handed down Tuesday afternoon.
The case began when Joe King, owner of a store selling CBD derivatives, sued the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office after the sheriff demanded that all stores in the county stop selling most CBD products.
Sheriff Gary Sisk said people were being adversely affected by the products, and that many hemp derivatives were illegal. King argued that CBD derivatives are beneficial to his customers and not specifically outlawed.
Because of the ruling, as of Tuesday afternoon, CBD products were back on the shelves of the Shoppe, the store King owns in Fort Oglethorpe. In a phone interview, King said his is one of about 10 stores in the Fort Oglethorpe area that sell CBD products, and there are several more in Ringgold and throughout the county.
In the ruling, Catoosa County Superior Court Judge Brian House said it is clear there’s a difference of interpretation regarding hemp derivatives’ legality under Georgia law. The question is best resolved by Georgia legislators, House said, but his court would grant the request if one of the sides in the case asked to have the ruling addressed by a higher court.
Stores in all other counties in Northwest Georgia besides Catoosa sell CBD…