Dozens of CBD Raid Cases to be Dismissed by Indiana Police

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]D[/dropcap]ozens of grocery stores across Indiana will have their seized CBD products returned, as a new law was signed allowing for the sale of CBD products. The Indiana Tobacco and Alcohol Commission and its enforcement agency, the Indiana State Excise Police confirmed to WTHR Eyewitness News that they are dismissing dozens of cases of CBD raids on stores throughout Indiana.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 52 to legalize CBD oil, The Associated Press reported on March 21. While the new law officially takes effect on July 1, it basically dissolves the argument in favor of continuing to crack down on stores that sell CBD oil.

First, State Excise Police raided Fresh Thyme, a Greenwood, Indiana-based grocery store, for “possession of marijuana” even though hemp-derived CBD products produce no psychoactive effect. Thousands of dollars worth of CBD products were seized.

Shortly after, when WTHR confronted Alcohol and Tobacco Commission chairman David Cook about the raids, he admitted he didn’t understand the legality of CBD. “It’s a complicated issue and we’re trying to work through it and figure out what the rules are,” Cook admitted, after the raids had already taken place.

Fortunately, the grocery stores that were ransacked will end up having their CBD products returned. “Indiana State Excise Police will be returning CBD products to respective retailers in a timely manner,” ATC spokeswoman Lindsay Devlin said. “Retailers that were cited last summer with regards to CBD oil will not be imposed to any fines.”

CBD retailers in Indiana will be subject to strict labeling requirements after July 1. The labeling requirements, however, will be enforced by the same State Excise Police team that raided the grocery stores in the first place.

Similar CBD raid charges have been dropped in Tennessee, but continue to happen in Alabama, according to Marijuana Business Daily. Even though CBD raids continue in pockets throughout the U.S., law enforcement is losing the overall war on CBD.