ENID, Okla. — Enid residents seeking relief from ailments ranging from chronic pain to rheumatoid arthritis are turning to alternatives such as CBD oils and medical marijuana.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabis compound with medical benefits but does not make people feel “stoned” and can actually counteract the psychoactivity of tetrahydrocannabinol, a crystalline compound that is the main active ingredient of cannabis, also referred to as THC.

Daniel Robinson, president of Urbn Roots in Enid, said the dispensary, 2624 N. Van Buren, carries both CBD and medical marijuana products.

“We carry CBD all the way up to the highest THC concentrates,” he said.

Seeking alternatives

Urbn Roots carries edibles, such as gummies, chocolates and caramels, as well as medical marijuana and products containing THC.

Robinson said people have come into the dispensary with varying ailments, but there are some health issues that prompt sufferers to seek help more than those with other illnesses.

“Cancer is a big one, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines. Anxiety and depression are big ones,” he said. “I take it for Crohn’s disease. Women can take it for their menstrual cycle. People that have had back pain, chronic pain, surgeries, fused vertebrae (can see benefits).”

Robinson said patients also are using medical marijuana as an alternative to pharmaceutical medicines.

“With Oklahoma restricting the opiates the way they are doing, a lot of people are turning to cannabis to move away from opiates,” he said. “I can count the number of times I’ve had to take my opioids since starting cannabis on one hand.”

Finding right products

Robinson said, so far, the most popular product is flowered marijuana, followed by concentrates, such as THC wax or distillates for vape pens and edibles.

“Instead of trying to rush people through, you have to sit down and talk to them and hear out their medical issues and talk to them about how they’ve used cannabis for themselves,” Robinson said. “We just have to get them through the process. I’m fighting as hard as I can to get people in here to get their card as fast as they can. I tell patients, “Even if you don’t buy it from us we want to get you the help you need.”

For those with medical marijuana cards, Robinson said they recommend when they begin taking medical marijuana to go “low and slow.” He said doctors in Oklahoma are not prescribing marijuana, they are only recommending a patient take marijuana.

“The only way to really find out is try it out,” Robinson said. “It’s up to the patient and the dispensary to determine the dose, the frequency and the method.

“Just come see us and we’ll help with all those questions,” he said. “If you’re lost, come to us and we will help you. We will help them get their license and find what works for them.”

Medicating naturally

Urbn Roots customer Mike Bell said he was traveling to Colorado when it legalized marijuana to get marijuana to treat himself.

“Everything was making me sick pharmaceutical-wise,” Bell said. “I started out making my own CBD oil. I’ve been getting gummies because it tastes better.”

Bell said he suffers from uveitis, an inflammation of the back of the eye, and is blind in his right eye. He was on chemotherapy and taking nine pills a week.

“I’m off every narcotic except blood pressure medicine because of this stuff,” he said, holding his purchase from the dispensary. “It’s excellent when you can medicate yourself naturally.”

Bell said he was eager to try a more natural remedy for his medical problems.

“People in chronic pain finally get to the end of their rope, and they’re willing to try anything, literally everything, to make it stop,” Robinson said. “This is why we do what we do. The money is very secondary.”

Wide customer base

Tara Skiner, owner and operator of Tara’s Organics, 214 E. Broadway, said she sells only products with CBD and no THC.

She said she caters to those who want the benefits from CBD but cannot take THC because of their jobs or licenses they hold.

“I have a very wide customer base of people who can’t have THC, or don’t want it,” she said. “What the majority of people are coming in for are Parkinson’s, MS, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, migraines, Lupus, fibromyalgia, sleep disorders, pain, inflammation and that kind of a thing. It helps with over 140 things in the body.”

She said her most popular products are CBD sublingual oil, a CBD salve and CBD gummies. The type of CBD product purchased usually depends on the person’s aliment.

“If they have a localized pain, the salve is really great,” she said. “If it’s more of a cognitive brain issue they use the oil.”

Skinner said the question most often asked about her CBD products is in regard to if it truly is THC-free. She said people often ask if it is good for pain and anxiety.

“Because we hear a lot about it being good for pain and inflammation, that’s probably the second most common question,” she said. “Is it good for anxiety? I have a lot of customers that don’t necessarily have physical pain but they have a mental pain, such as PTSD.

“It works for 97 percent of people. I’ve had a few that said it didn’t work but that’s because they were on a very low dose. Typically, if it’s not working their dosage needs to be changed a little bit.”

Before it ‘was a thing’

She said a person’s ailments could determine the amount and type of CBD they should use.

“It depends on what the issues are. Then it depends on how your body metabolizes it and how malnourished your CBD receptors are,” she said. “It really is unique to everyone’s body. The only way we know is when they try it. It’s the same concept (as medications), it’s just a natural oil. Really, a full-spectrum CBD will do just as much as THC, minus a couple of things, like increased appetite and the psychoactive effect.”

Building on Tradition 2019: All Health & Wellness stories Building on Tradition is a special section that will publish in the Enid News & Eagle for eight Sundays in February, March and April 2019.…

Unlike medical marijuana, there is no license required to sell CBD products and no card required for those who purchase CBD products. Skinner also has her products for sale at Broadway Antiques and Uniques, 129 E. Broadway, and Whiskey Girlz Boutique, 612 N. Independence.

“I had been recommending CBD for about a year and half, and this was before this was a thing,” Skinner said. “One day I switched my nutrition club to a CBD store. It’s really been amazing how many people we’ve had come through the door and how many people we’ve helped.”

Skinner said she’s been a homeopath since her 20s, and helping people with their problems through CBD was a natural step for her.

“Being in that arena, I really am enjoying helping people and knowing when they leave my store they’re going to find relief.”