Cajun Cannabis is set to open this weekend in Lafayette.
The store will sell CBD oils, lotions and bath products; as well as coffee, CBD sodas and hemp clothing.
CBD or cannabidiol is a chemical compound from the cannabis plant used in relaxation and calming products.
Hemp is grown primarily for industrial purposes and has lower amounts of THC, the compound in cannabis that gets people high. In most of the US, hemp must contain 0.3% THC or less to be legal.
Right now, Cajun Cannabis says it’s feeling pressure from the state despite not yet opening.
The store is hoping to become the state’s largest retailer of its kind.
“We want to have a market place of confidence and a platform for formal education where people could come and learn about the business,” said owner Travis DeYoung.
He wants his store to be family friendly. He plans to provide lab reports for every product he sells to make sure they’re triple tested for THC levels and other impurities.
“I agree, we need regulation. We absolutely do,” said DeYoung. “We don’t want people to be able to just throw up and be able to do this. There needs to be a framework.”
Cajun Cannabis has a building permit, but is still working to obtain its certificate of occupancy from Lafayette Consolidated Government.
In an email obtained by KATC, the city’s permit manager told his employees “The state ATC office is asking us not to issue a CO.”
ATC denies that claim.
In an email to KATC, the ATC says the sale of CBD products is illegal regardless of THC content. The ATC also says conversations are going on between several levels of government about the legality of the business.
“So, is the ATC out of their jurisdiction when they try to regulate cannabis? Maybe. Are they out of their jurisdiction when they try to interpret the law when their job is to enforce the law? Maybe. We do need regulation. I agree with them. We can’t just have everyone throwing up shop,” said DeYoung.
He hopes his store will have positive impacts on Acadiana and Louisiana.
“Look at Colorado. They’re spending all this extra money fixing schools. They have a surplus,” DeYoung said. “I think it’s time Louisiana gets on their level.”
Tuesday afternoon, DeYoung met with Marcus Bruno from the Mayor-President’s Office. He says Bruno told him to keep THC and vapes out of his store and his permit should be approved.
