Local police departments in South Dakota, including police in Rapid City, are cracking down on the sale of what are called CBD oils sold in stores that feature other products made from hemp.

The South Dakota legislature recently made CBD sales illegal. But the owners of the hemp products stores say the legislature have gone beyond good judgment on the matter.

Rapid City Police say it’s their job to enforce the law.  That’s what they did when they took action against this store. 

“We got a tip from a citizen of Rapid City that these CBD oils were being sold and so that’s what prompted us to stop in the store. We made contact with the manager, asked them to take these illegal items down off the shelf and they said they would,” said Don Hedrick, the Assistant Police Chief in Rapid City.

The Hemporium here in Rapid City sells mainly hemp textile products, that is clothing and other items made from hemp fiber.

Advocates say industrial hemp is virtually worthless for getting high, but it is an exceptional producer of plant fiber. It’s where CBD oils come from. Advocates say the oil contains no psychoactive drugs, and specifically, no THC.  The owners of hemp stores say the South Dakota legislature has made it illegal for no good reason. 

“And they’re just basically taking over 300 vendors and honest retailers and getting rid of a big huge tax base now.” said Leonard Vandermate, the owner of the Hemporium in Rapid City. 

It’s a tax base, Vandermate says, that may be worth millions of dollars.  He says the legislature not only shot themselves in the foot with the new law. 

“I think the state of South Dakota politicians shot their constituents in the foot on this issue,” said Vandermate. 

Rapid City Police say, since Vandermate complied with their request to remove the CBD from his shelves, no charges with be filed.  Vandermate says he’s still lost tens of thousands of dollars in CBD business.