David’s Gallery has sold CBD products in G.S. since 2014

David’s Gallery has sold CBD products in G.S. since 2014
Owner says snowbirds are easily the primary customers for her CBD goods

By Fran Thompson
Carolyn Hall was not on site selling tie-dye tees and water pipes when David’s Gallery opened as Sunburst back in 1969, but she has been the driving force behind the business for 41 of the 50 years it has welcomed patrons to Gulf Shores.
Located about a half mile north of Gulf Shores Public Beach, David’s Gallery is the only retailer in the city selling CBD oil products, as far as its owner (pictured) knows. Hall has been selling a variety of CBD oil based products since President Obama made it legal to do so as part of a 2014 Farm Bill. CBD oil is a derivative of hemp, a cannabis plant that looks like marijuana but has negligible levels of THC, its psychoactive component.
Over the course of a year, CBD sales account for the bulk of David Gallery’s business. Sales are especially brisk during snowbird season.
“I don’t know if it is going to run its course. But it is really trendy right now. I expect that in another year it will be in Wal-Mart and Rite-Aid.’’
Hall was spot on, as Walgreens is selling CBD creams, patches and sprays in nine states, and CVS introduced CBD topicals, including creams and salves, to stores in eight states.
In December 2018, the U.S. House passed the Farm Bill, which contained a provision legalizing CBD derived from industrial hemp, as long as it has a THC concentration of no more than 0.3 percent. Technically, the bill changed the legal status of hemp from a controlled substance to an agricultural commodity.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed Senate Bill 225 on June 10, allowing pharmacies to sell CBD products containing no more than 0.3 percent THC. Proponents of CBD oil say it helps with medical conditions ranging from seizures and epilepsy to PTSD and chronic pain.
Hall said when she started selling CBD products, there were three suppliers she could work with. There are now between three and four thousand. She said there will be close to 900 exhibitors at a CBD oil conference she plans to attend the first week in August in Miami.
“I think this is just a misunderstanding. But I would hate to see it taken way from children who are dealing with seizures. Once you pass laws that are affecting somebody’s kids, people are going to get fired up,’’ she said.
“The amount of THC in the oil can not be more than .3 percent. Not three percent – .3 percent,’’ she added.
Hall said she does not know if Gulf Shores will follow Orange Beach’s lead with the CBD oil moratorium (see above story). But first Gulf Shores and, soon after that, Orange Beach passed laws limiting the number of tattoo parlors in each city to those that were already open at their specific locations.
“The federal and state governments may say it’s legal, but municipalities pass their own laws all the time,’’ Hall said. “It is an exciting time to be alive.’’
It is worth noting that Hall was unable to advertise the word “yoga” on signage when she started teaching yoga classes in downtown Gulf Shores more than 30 years ago.
“People in general are a lot more accepting now,’’ she said.