A new store selling cannabis flower, concentrates and edibles is open in Lakewood, but it's not a dispensary. Canna World Market, a hemp and CBD boutique, debuted last month at 1420 South Wadsworth Boulevard, and it's already making a splash.

The shop's founders, Chuck Holcomb and Dave O'Connor, first envisioned using the space as the headquarters for a website selling CBD and hemp products, but then figured the brick-and-mortar route was an easier way to start. So instead of blacking out the windows and operating online, the duo opened the doors to customers interested in CBD dog treats, lotion, coffee, tea, edibles, acne products and water-infusing powder, as well as high-CBD hemp flower and concentrates for vaporizing and smoking.

"Those websites take months and months to build up; it just wasn't an option," explains Holcomb. "We wanted to reach out to the people in the area and show them what CBD is all about."

Holcomb and O'Connor hope to show shoppers the difference between CBD and THC, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana. CBD doesn't carry those same psychoactive properties, but has been shown to treat inflammation, pain, anxiety, seizures and other medical issues.

Because all of its products are made with CBD derived from hemp and carry minute amounts of THC, Canna World Market sells hemp flower, concentrates and vaping products that look just like their counterparts in cannabis dispensaries.

Don't mind Rowdy, Canna World Market's guard dog. Thomas Mitchell

They look so similar that the principal of nearby Alameda International High School has already made an inquiry about what's being sold in the store, Holcomb says, and the Lakewood Police Department has also paid the shop a visit.

"Lakewood PD stopped in, but they know about [CBD]. It wasn't a problem," he says. "All of the products we sell are tested and inspected several times over."

Marijuana Deals Near You

Although the two still plan to develop an e-commerce website, they're counting on Canna World Market to build a local reputation in the meantime and educate a consumer base still thirsty for knowledge.

"A lot of these people want to buy in person rather than online when they're trying these for the first time, especially older consumers who might want something for pain or for their dogs," O'Connor says. "And on another end, a lot of people feel more comfortable purchasing CBD products here instead of at a dispensary."

Although Colorado's cannabis dispensaries sell CBD products, state regulations require every consumable product sold at dispensaries to carry at least some traceable amount of THC. That, paired with relatively few retailers marketing themselves as CBD-focused stores, has created a space for businesses like Canna World Market.

Find out more by stopping by the store at the corner of South Wadsworth and Florida, or visit the Canna World Market website.