On Thursday, June 13, the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce stopped in at the CBD Store of RI, which recently opened at 1851 Post Road in Warwick, to celebrate with an official ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome the new business to the city. General Manager Michael Lanoue gave a short speech to the gathering about the benefits of CBD products and their potential to help a whole range of maladies, from anxiety to chronic pain, all without the polarizing and federally illegal psychoactive effects that accompany marijuana. CBD is derived from hemp, which is a relative to the cannabis plant but is federally legal and will not cause users to fail a drug test, while still giving many of the same medicinal benefits normally associated with medical marijuana. Lanoue started the venture when the product worked for his wife, Eva, who was badly injured in an accident, and has vowed to support the community. He said he already donated $1,400 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Jefferson Boulevard. (Warwick Beacon photo)