POLICE officers have been seen storming a shop in Basingstoke this afternoon. 

Vedas, a store that sells cannabis oil, is currently shut as police search the premises. 

Witnesses described watching as a police car and van descended on Church Street at around 1.30pm and entered the shop.

The store only opened last month by Basingstoke-resident Fraser Bracey.

The premises's website advertises CBD-infused cakes, coffees and teas as well as oils. 

Basingstoke Gazette:

 

Last month, the Gazette reported how Vedas' shop owner Fraser Bracey first came across CBD when his late grandfather was diagnosed with throat cancer.

Speaking at the time, he said: “He was my idol and I was looking into alternative treatments for him and I stumbled across CBD.”

Fraser then discovered the benefits of the oil himself after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following an operation.

The 26-year-old said: “I had an appendix operation however I bled quite badly after, I lost nine pints of blood whilst awake.”

Afterwards, Fraser suffered with PTSD, which affected his sleep and caused him to sweat excessively.

He decided to try CBD because the product had helped relieve his grandfather’s symptoms, and believes it has cured him of PTSD, saying: “I couldn’t go back to work. I had lot of physical symptoms and flash-backs to being in hospital. It was a tough time.”

Basingstoke Gazette:

Inspired by the benefits of the product, Fraser decided to set up a business selling CBD and has just opened a new café in Church Street, Basingstoke. 

Vedas CBD has items for sale with CBD including sweets, chocolate and tea, as well as offering shots of CBD in coffee.

He hopes the café will offer people interested in using the product somewhere to come and ask questions before buying it, as well as a social space to enjoy it.

He also wants to reassure customers that the products sold in the café are safe, explaining: “There’s no regulation in the industry and there are different ways of extracting the oil. We only deal with products that have been CO2 extracted rather than using things like alcohol which isn’t as safe.

“Bottles of CBD can be expensive so we want people to try it before they buy a bottle so offer shots in coffee.”

Fraser, who used to sell life insurance, said his new job is so rewarding when he sees the reported benefits of CBD for customers, explaining: “It was almost like it was meant to be going through the PTSD and now I do something I love that can help others."