Bartell’s starts selling cannabis products at select locations

Over the last few weeks, Bartell’s Drugs has begun rolling out a line of cannabis products at select locations throughout the Northwest.

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After marijuana was legalized in the state of Washington, it took a few years for stores to spring up. Once they did, the market for cannabis products exploded, producing upwards of $300 million a year in tax revenue yearly. Now, Bartell’s is getting in on the action, as they begin to sell 100 percent CBD only hemp-based products.

The local drug store chain is starting by selling these products in 41 separate locations, with hopes to expand should the experiment prove successful.

“We really felt that we want to give our customers a choice,” Bartell’s marketing manager Jessica Ivey told Candy Harper and Mike Lewis on KIRO Radio. “Many people find beneficial properties in these products, and we wanted to offer them in our stores.”

Bartell’s currently has no plans to offer THC-based products — that is the chemical associated with the high obtained through marijuana. Instead focusing on CBD, a cannabis product with less than 0.3 percent THC, most commonly associated with pain relief, and other remedies for anxiety/depression or heart health (though studies on these affects are relatively new).

“Our customers are finding a lot of relief with pain [and] inflammation,” said Ivey. “We’re getting a ton of feedback and we’re finding that this is really well-received.”

Customers can even ask associates and pharmacists at participating locations for additional information, with Ivey citing “an education experience” as the core goal.

“This is the future and we should be part of it,” said Ivey.

All CBD products are restricted to anyone 18 and over, and remain locked in a cabinet before purchase.

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