A CBD information centre has opened in Blackburn, and its owner says he wants to educate people about the facts of medicinal cannabis and stop the sale of fake products.

Run and funded by Steven Ball, the centre claims to be the first in the UK to provide comprehensive and detailed information and advice about CBD.

CBD is short for cannabidiol, a compound found in hemp plants, that is thought to have medicinal benefits that can aid pain relief and help reduce seizures in sufferers of epilepsy.

A misconception of CBD is that it has the same psychoactivity as THC, the principle compound of cannabis, but this is not the case.

Mr Ball, a former builder from Darwen said: "We opened our CBD information centre in January.

"Halfway way through 2018, there was a news report about a little girl from Preston, Olivia Heary, who suffered from over 100 seizures a day due to her epilepsy.

"It caught my attention when the father mentioned CBD hemp oil, as I used to use hemp seeds for fishing and hemp protein for weight training.

"I was annoyed by Olivia's doctor for not letting her parents try CBD as it's a natural product, but her doctor wanted her to carry-on using pharmaceutical medications, which were making her feel worse."

Mr Ball said that six weeks after first seeing the story he heard the family had decided to use CBD hemp oil and Olivia's seizures had halved.

He said: "That's where my journey started with opening the first ever CBD information centre.

"I want to help educate people about the health and wellness of CBD, as all CBD oils aren't the same."

The 54-year-old explained that recently, online retail giant, Amazon had purchased seven bottles of CBD from their own website and sent them away to be analysed.

He said: "They found that six bottles didn't contain any CBD at all and the seventh contained half of the amount stated on the bottle.

"This is why it is important to get the latest facts before purchasing CBD products.

"In our centre we've got videos about the differences in CBD oils and information leaflets on where to buy genuine products."

Mr Ball's C.B.D information centre is located in Suite 14, Kings Court, King Street, Blackburn.

For more information contact Steven on 07970 043896 or visit cbd-information-centre.co.uk