Kansas CBD shop owners fight back after KBI raids

TOPEKA (KSNT) – CBD store owners are preparing legal action after agents with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation raided their shops in early October.

Trevor Burdett, CEO and founder of the Sacred Leaf in Topeka, had his shop raided by KBI agents on Oct. 1 alongside numerous other businesses across Kansas. Burdett recently met with other store owners who were subjected to the KBI raids and legal experts to begin working out a strategy to fight back.

The KBI raided 18 businesses in Kansas from Oct. 1-2 in various cities such as Topeka, Wichita, Ulysses, Pratt and Salina. KBI Director Tony Mattivi and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said the raids took place at vape shops and CBD dispensaries that were allegedly selling illegal THC and/or marijuana products.

The group is looking to file an injunction so they can keep operating. Burdett, who owns multiple shops across Kansas, said his location in Topeka is still open despite the raid. He has pulled some products off of the shelves though and has a limited inventory.

“A lot of us are kind of going back and forth and deciding whether we sue the state for damages, loss of revenue, loss of income, our lost inventory,” Burdett said.

Burdett said that law enforcement is counting products in CBD stores, such as vapes and gummies, as containing 10% THC if they’re advertised as being 10 milligrams. CBD shop owners argue the milligrams of THC in their products is not equal to the percentage.

The federal limit for THC products is 0.3% which is based off the dry weight, according to the 2018 Farm Bill. Kansas is one of the few states left that has yet to legalize medical or recreational marijuana.

For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf