HEBER CITY, Utah - A Heber antiques shop said the Utah Department of Commerce came in and seized some of their merchandise last week, taking cannabidiol oil and a blood thinner medicine.
Now, the shop is trying to figure out why the state seized the CBD oil.
Aspen Grove Rustics is a fairly new shop on Heber's main drag.
"We've just got a variety of really cool things here," designer Jenifer Tringham said.
She said they sell antiques, rocks and crystals, furniture and unique pieces.
In a section at the back of the store, they also sell supplies for medical kits. Tringham said that's because the owner of the store used to be a firefighter and EMT, and previously sold the kits in Idaho.
"He actually creates trauma kits-- medical trauma kits-- and you can either make your own bag or you can buy bags," she said.
Up until last week, they also sold CBD oil. Tringham said they usually saw around 10 customers come in a week to buy the hemp product.
"We talked to the company that actually manufactures it, and they stated that it was legal in all 50 states," Tringham explained.
On Dec. 21, she said the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) showed up, telling the store owner that Aspen Grove Rustics can't sell CBD oil.
Tringham said the owner offered to take the product off of the counter, and asked what he could do to comply with the law.
The DOPL investigator left, but later showed up with two police officers, Tringham said.
"[DOPL] brought a subpoena and they wanted to seize the bottles of CBD," she said.
According to the subpoena, DOPL is investigating Medical Vanguard, the name of the part of the store that sells the medical supplies for the first aid kits.
"RECORDS NEEDED: Any and all records of sale and invoices of purchase of heparin, CBD oil, and any other prescription drugs," the subpoena states.
"They didn't have a warrant," Tringham said. "All they had was a subpoena. They didn't have a warrant, and they took the property and they walked out."
In all, Tringham said DOPL confiscated four bottles of CBD oil and a bottle of heparin, a blood thinner medicine.
She said the DOPL representative told the store owner that CBD oil is illegal in Utah.
Tringham said they were shocked. "There's several shops down in Salt Lake County and throughout Utah County that sells CBD," she said.
They thought it was legal to sell, Tringham said, and they were under the impression that they weren't doing anything wrong by selling the CBD oil. "If law is that it's illegal, then it needs to be crystal clear," she said.
Since the DOPL visit, Aspen Grove Rustics no longer sells the CBD oil.
Fox 13 reached out to the Department of Commerce, which oversees DOPL. They sent this statement:
"At this time the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing can neither confirm nor deny that there is an active investigation into Medical Vanguard. Beyond our statement, we have no further comment."
-Jennifer Bolton, spokesperson for the Department of Commerce
