People may be noticing them popping up all over the area.

Hemp-based CBD (cannabidiol) oil and the places that sell it have gained popularity here recently.

One of the more recent stores to open up in the area is the Elizabethton location of CBD Plus USA which is located off Overmountain Drive in the shopping center that also houses the Red Ginger Chinese restaurant.

Carter County local Heather Blevins is a manager at CBD Plus and said that she has been using CBD oil for roughly 5 to 6 years.

“I started using it before it was really well known in this area,” said Blevins.

Blevins went on to say that she has been diagnosed with a lot of mental health issues and that she turned to CBD oil while looking for natural treatments for her ailments.

“I wanted to stay away from all of the medications that they wanted to give me,” said Blevins.

“I ordered it online, and I was just sure that the police was going to come busting through my front door,” Blevins added with a laugh.

Suffering from anxiety, Blevins said she was prescribed benzodiazepine, but after she started taking CBD oil, Blevins said that she has completely stopped taking benzodiazepine.

“I don’t take that anymore,” said Blevins. “I had panic attacks, and I just don’t need it anymore. It is because of the CBD oil.

“My hands don’t shake as much as they used to,” added Blevins. “When I say I have mental illness problems, I have a lot. Some can be debilitating, and the CBD oil has helped a lot with that.”

Blevins said that there have been patients from the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center in Johnson City who claim that their doctors have told them to try CBD oils for some of their medical problems.

CBD is a compound known as a cannabinoid and is one of 113 cannabinoids that can be found in the hemp plant. Unlike the cannabinoid THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is what gives people who smoke marijuana a “high” feeling, CBD does not have any psychoactive properties and is not known to give users any mental effects such as haziness or other psychoactive symptoms associated with using marijuana. Hemp is sometimes confused with marijuana since they are both plants of the Cannabis Sativa family. While marijuana has 15 to 40 percent THC in it, hemp has a concentration of THC at 0.3 percent or lower. Hemp-based CBD oil is claimed to have many medicinal properties and has been said to treat ailments such as anxiety, chronic pain, nausea, and many others.

CBD is ingested in many different forms. The oil form, which is what Blevins said she is currently using, is placed under the tongue. There is also rubs and salves. CBD can be taken through capsules or gummies. Some people even inhale CBD through smoking.

Hemp-based CBD products are legal in the United States.