CBD American Shaman is seen Tuesday afternoon in Chehalis.
S.H.S. Organic owner Shanna Hoyt-Siler explains how CBD oil can benefit pets Tuesday afternoon in Chehalis.
Shanna Hoyt-Siler explains how CBD oil works. Hoyt-Siler owns the business S.H.S. Organic, which sells CBD American Shaman products.
Standing near a sample tray full of CBD oils, Shanna Hoyt-Siler pulled out what looked like an eyedropper and put oil into a little white paper cup. She has heard positive things about the piña colada-flavored oil, she said.
“It’s hard because a lot of people when they think of CBD, they think of pot,” Hoyt-Siler said. “They think ‘getting high, it’s a drug.’ That’s not what CBD is about. The stuff I carry, it’s all been known … to help people with sleep, with anxiety, depression, pain, and a number of other things. It won’t get you high.”
Hoyt-Siler decided to open her own CBD American Shaman franchise, after her brother opened one in Missouri and talked about his experience. In addition to her new business, Hoyt-Siler also delivers bread for Bimbo Bakeries USA. Her business name is S.H.S. Organic, but the store sells CBD American Shaman products and the sign in the front window says “CBD American Shaman.”
CBD, or Cannabidiol, is oil from hemp plants and is not a controlled substance.
While people sometimes interchangeably use the words “cannabis,” “hemp” and “marijuana,” they are not the same thing. Cannabis is a family of plants — hemp and marijuana are the two main species. There are two main compounds, called cannabinoids, that come up when people discuss cannabis — Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD).
Marijuana has higher amounts of THC and that is what can give the user that “high” feeling, while hemp is where CBD oils come from. Although the products Hoyt-Siler sells have a small amount of THC in them — less than 0.03 percent — the amount is so small that her products are legal in all 50 states.
Hoyt-Siler opened up shop for the first time Tuesday. Her daughter, Jasmine Gallea, stopped by that afternoon. Gallea is a high school student in Running Start. While people must be over 18 years old to buy the CBD products, parents can buy the CBD products for their children. Gallea said she has found a lot of her friends use CBD products.
“A lot of my friends have stress and anxiety and whatnot,” Gallea said. “It’s good for that. They say it helps for that a bunch. … They buy it from places like the actual marijuana shops and whatnot. ... Here, there is more in-depth research to make sure you’re getting the full benefits and the quality — and less THC than when you would buy it from a pot shop.”
The shop has various bottles of CBD products that sit on shelves along the walls. Hoyt-Siler has a seating area with a couch and chairs, as well as an area with toys for children. While people must be over 18 to buy the products, people under 18 can be in the store.
“People don’t necessarily want to go into a pot shop,” Hoyt-Siler said. “They don’t want to be seen going into a pot shop, they don’t want to smell of the pot shop. So to be able to come into something like this — you can bring your kids. … It’s a family-friendly environment and kids can come in here.”
Hoyt-Siler said she was surprised when she first talked about opening her shop by how many people use CBD products.
“It’s not something, like, I used it and ‘Oh this changed my life and I want to sell it’” Hoyt-Siler said. “It was just something that my brother, hearing him talking about it, I decided that this is something I would like to do. But people use it for many things. I have noticed that I think some people do use it and they don’t want people to know they use it because it’s so taboo.”
The business is located at 1339 NW Louisiana Ave. in Chehalis and can be reached at nwamericanshaman@yahoo.com.
