CBD shop owners speak up

Heather and Dreyson Beguin are looking forward to re-opening their CBD Shop, KB Natural Alternatives. The mother and son duo said it’s been tough waiting to get their possessions back, but they’re staying positive.

Heather Beguin showed off the focal point of what’s left of KB Natural Solutions, it’s a wall of records that “Immediately drew people to it, they pick their favorite record or their era…we take them off the wall and play them”

There’s not much else to show, just some business cards, pamphlets, and a few informational posters. The shelves are empty because Scottsbluff Police Department raided the shop on December 14th.

The raid halted the second day of business for KB Natural Alternatives. The bare store is a capsule, frozen in time since that day.

The Beguins went in to business to sell canibidiol, also known as CBD. Their products do not contain THC, the component of marijuana plants which get people high.

They opened the store with little thought that they would be arrested, have their assets frozen, and most of their possessions seized. “We were in shock mostly because of like how they came in. This was a full blown... they were like ‘freeze!’ guns up.. ‘hands up!’.. badges... I mean, this was a big deal.”

Products with CBD and hemp are available across the state. The Beguins feel singled out. There are multiple CBD shops in other counties in Nebraska, and shops in town offer assorted hemp products.

They spoke with police before they had officially opened the store, and even took product in for examination. SBPD allowed Heather to leave the police station with product that they later took from her shelves and labeled as evidence.

When the county attorney threw out their case, the Beguins said they felt relieved, but they also felt like the whole thing has been drawn out too long. “We knew that no one prosecute us,” said Heather.

She also said that her family was very blessed that they had already done their Christmas shopping. The Beguin’s bank accounts were shut down, and they are depending on family and friends to help get them through this rough patch.

Dreyson Beguin was the first to try CBD, when he was living in Florida. He started taking it to see what would happen. When his migraines and digestive issues were alleviated, he shared his findings with his mother.

Heather Beguin had been in a car accident, and she didn’t want to take pain medicine anymore. She said she spent 17 years as an addict. Taking CBD oil took “some time” but she said, with faith and patience she began to improve.

“Every day was a little bit better,” said Dreyson. The 23 year old and two younger brothers grew up with a mom who was suffering from addiction. Dreyson said when his mother improved and fought her way to sobriety, it changed both of them.

They see CBD as an opportunity to turn people away from drugs, and offer a natural way to alleviate multiple health concerns. They said that the first day alone, 10 addicts came into the store looking for a way to quit. They said that people were finding them on social media, and looking to make their own health decisions.

While they have been through a lot these few weeks, they aren’t giving up on opening their doors. Ultimately, Heather and Dreyson believe that Scottsbluff is becoming more progressive, and that there is a market and a need for medicinal CBD.