Defiant Medical Marijuana Activist Opens Cannabis Shop In Allston
BOSTON (CBS) – Bill Downing isn't sure if the medical cannabis products he sells at his Allston store are legal. He also said he doesn't care whether or not they are.
Downing operates CBD Please in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. Through his Lincoln Street store he sells medical marijuana that he believes is legal because it is made from hemp oil.
But the Department of Public Health forced Downing to shut down a previous store, and the Boston Police Department told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones that it is "looking into the legality" of the newest operation.
Downing, meanwhile, argues that cannabidiol (CBD) is the medically active ingredient in hemp and it is not an intoxicant. He does not have a medical marijuana license.
Among the symptoms Downing said his merchandise can help control are pain, depression, spasms, nausea, and anxiety.
"The state can do anything they want. They can throw me in jail. They can do whatever they want," said Downing.
"But I know I'm doing the right thing and I'm doing it for the right reasons. I'm doing it for the patients here in the state and I really don't care about the bureaucracies trying to stop me because they're immoral. And because the public does not support them."
Marijuana products at Downing's store include roll-on and rub-on salves, sprays, capsules, and scalp and haircare items.
According to Downing, the items do no have THC, which is the intoxicating ingredient in marijuana.
He says the products are derived from the oils of the hemp plant, which is then imported from Europe and refined in the United States.
When asked if that process was legal, Downing responded "I don't know. And I don't care."
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