An Ankeny woman has been arrested for allegedly selling illegal CBD products.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office says 33 year old Lacie Navin was charged with two counts of a controlled substance violation and one count of failure to affix a tax stamp.
Navin is the owner of Your CBD Store that has locations in Ankeny, Urbandale and West Des Moines.
In addition to Navin's arrest, the store in Ankeny was shut down. Lieutenant Heath Osberg tells WHO-TV 13 a Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force investigation started recently after a complaint was made about multiple businesses, including Navin's, that were selling illegal products.
“So I don't have an answer for you when it comes to why this business why now. I can tell you, this wasn’t the only business there were several others in the area and like I said some of the information was bad and they were not selling it, some were and they ceased their operations there and removed the merchandise,” Osberg says.
According to Iowa state law, it is illegal for someone to sell or purchase cannabidiol products unless they are licensed. Leaders at Medpharm Iowa, one of Iowa's licensed dispensaries, say illegal stores are causing a lot of confusion for people.
“It can undercut a lot of what we are doing here. We are trying to explain to people why it’s important to be a part of this program, why it’s worth going to your doctor, having the conversation, paying for your card, paying for these products, when they can walk into a different shop, sometimes right across the street or just down the road and get what they think is almost identical,” Medpharn Iowa General Manager Lucas Nelson told WHO-TV 13.
Nelson said these illegal products can have serious negative effects. “Because it’s not required to be tested like the medical cannabis program products are then some people are really putting themselves at some risk or may simply be buying nothing,” Nelson says.
Navin’s lawyer, Katelynn McCullough made this statement to WHO-TV 13 following Navin’s arrest and charges. “It is truly unfortunate that the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force has decided that the best use of its time is to target small business owners. The products sold at Your CBD Store in Ankeny are sold in stores across the State of Iowa. Iowans have made it clear they support the products being sold at Ms. Navin’s store and she intends to fight the charges brought against her.”
The investigation is ongoing.