Kent’s first dedicated CBD shop selling cannabis-related products is set to open in the new year.

CBD Star will open in Whitstable high street and offer a selection of items containing cannabidiol - or ‘CBD’ - a substance extracted from marijuana.

Although CBD does not make users ‘high’, some people experiencing physical and mental ill health have claimed it has helped to ease their symptoms.

But many are wary of the substance, which is not currently controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Freddie Wild, operations director at CBD Star, said: “The biggest things people are concerned about are things like ‘is this going to get me high?’, ‘is it illegal?’ and the answer to those questions is no.

“CBD is a compound found in cannabis, but it’s completely non-psychoactive. It doesn’t get you high.

“It’s been really good for people with joint pain, anxiety, insomnia, and fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia customers have severe pain all over, and some have found it’s almost completely cured it.

“I use it quite regularly. I find it quite relaxing after a long day. I also have quite a stiff back, and find it’s really helped that. But of course, this is completely anecdotal. It’s not a miracle cure, and we can’t make medical claims about it.

“CBD is a compound found in cannabis, but it’s completely non-psychoactive. It doesn’t get you high..." Freddie Wild

“We’ll be marketing fully within the confines of the law, as a food supplement.

“We have to hope that customers are savvy, as they have proven to be, and do research into CBD.”

Alex Stevens, a professor in criminal justice at the University of Kent and president of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy, says the use and sale of CBD is still a “grey area”.

“Despite claims that CBD is ‘not psychoactive’, it does meet the legal definition of a psychoactive substance,” he said. “It does not get you high, but it does have an anti-anxiety effect and acts on the central nervous system, meeting the legal definition of a psychoactive substance.

He explained this means that while it is legal to sell CBD marketed as a food supplement, it would be illegal to sell the substance for its ‘calming effect’.

“But I have not heard of any that have been prosecuted for this,” he added.

“Many people use CBD for its supposed medical benefits. There are some studies that have suggested it may be effective in treating some forms of epilepsy, schizophrenia and anxiety. There are even suggestions that it can help to shrink cancers.

"It does not get you high, but it does have an anti-anxiety effect..." Professor Alex Stevens

“These claims should be treated very carefully. The research is in its very early stages and there are also indications that CBD may promote the growth of some cancers such as colon cancer.

“Overall, it seems unlikely that most of the people who take CBD will be harmed by it, but there is also a lot of doubt as to whether they will actually get any benefit. People who are ill should certainly talk to their doctor if they are considering taking CBD.”

CBD Star will sell a range of products, from e-cigarette liquid to balms, tinctures - a medicine made by dissolving a drug in alcohol - and edible gummy sweets - with prices starting at about £15 for vaping liquid and £9.99 for gummies.

While there is currently no legal age limit on the sale of CBD products in the UK, the shop will be operating its own 18+ policy.

The shop - believed to be one of the first in the UK - will open in the Oxford Street premises currently occupied by Chatfield & Goodall estate agency.