By: Amanda Sandstrom Beijer
Two years ago, CBD wasn’t legal in Europe. Today, shops in Berlin are popping up like candy stores.
Some Berliner’s are sceptical and wonder why they would spend their money on weed that
is missing the THC and compare using CBD oil to drinking alcoholic free beer. However, CBD is not looking to compete with weed and try to sway the already established weed lovers. Trying to use CBD oil as a replacement for weed, although legal, would be an expensive and inefficient method.
Playful Magazine meets with Hempvizer’s store manager Carmela to get an introduction of who exactly is using CBD and why.
Tell us about the production of CBD.
”Our cultivation of the Cannabis plant is in Italy and the harvest is done every year in the fall, around September and October. Though the Cannabis plant can grow and get harvested all year around if you let it grow indoors.”
Is Germany’s view on Cannabis changing? ”I think so, I read that there is a discussion going on about selling normal weed in pharmacies without any prescription to get a feeling about the market. They probably want to make sure that not only a small amount of drug addicts buying it.”
Who would you recommend to try CBD drops, and why? ”You could say that CBD is like a superfood. It can help people who have depression, anxiety or trouble sleeping. But it’s also used as a pain relief, good for the heart, improves your skin, and you can use it to cure urinary tract infection.”
”The thing is, CBD is anti inflammatory and it’s good for a lot of stuff. Even your pets can use it. If your dog is scared, in pain or has anxiety - try to give it some CBD drops.”
Why do you think Cannabis is still illegal in Germany? ”I think it’s historical, that it was disrupting for the tobacco industry. Because you can make anything out of the Cannabis plant, it was probably pretty bad for their business. In Europe I don’t know, it sure makes you high but alcohol makes you high too, and that is legal...”
”Since CBD has been illegal for so long, it has been very difficult to get and share information about Cannabis and the benefits from the plant.”
What is Berlin’s view on CBD products? ”It’s very popular. Perhaps not as much by the youngest adults. The average age is probably around 30 to 60 years old. Many of our clients have been smoking weed and realized that they don’t really enjoy some of the effects. They get tired and maybe feel paranoid, but at the same time there is something about it that they feel is benefitting them. In contrast, CBD doesn’t go up into your head it just goes to the body, so it’s not the same at all. But it still effects you.”
”Even tough I also think that the paranoia you get from weed can be related to that you are buying bad products in some park and that weed is just bad quality. If we had more information about THC and the distribution of it would be legal and controlled, these things would probably be a lot better.”
Do all products work? Candy, shampoo, chapstick, face cream and so on?
”In some ways probably yes. Since it’s anti bacterial and anti inflammatorily using a cream can be good for your muscles, psoriasis, acne and so on.”
Today in Germany, CBD is now legal when do you think it will be legal to smoke weed? ”They have been talking about making Cannabis legal only in Görlitzer park for example, but then that never happened. It’s an ongoing discussion. There was a project that started two years ago where they wanted to legalize Cannabis in Berlin. But it was rejected the first time and they tried again, but I haven’t heard anything since. It seems to change from one day to another.”