The first shop in a retail chain of specialist UK CBD stores has opened its doors in Belfast. CBD Farmacy which is located on Rosemary Street in Northern Ireland’s capital, is the first of 15 stores that the specialist brand plan on opening. It will have quite a positive impact on the Northern Irish economy as parent owners Plant Farmacy have invested 750,000 and plan on creating over 60 jobs within the next 18 months.
Although CBD Farmacy is not the first CBD-based shop to open in Northern Ireland it certainly will be the first to boast such a wide variety of products. The Belfast-based shop stock a wide variety of CBD products including CBD drops, capsules, potent pastes, balms, and even suppositories. Whilst it’s not uncommon for health and wellness stores across the UK to stock oils or capsules, suppositories are relatively new territory. With US-based brands such as Foria Wellness, or Whoopi Golberg’s line of cannabis-infused menstrual products paving the way.
And, this is not the only element which makes the new health and wellness store stand out. It will also be a hub for CBD treatments, offering the first specialist CBD oil massage available in Belfast and Northern Ireland.
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Bringing CBD to Northern Ireland
The family-owned business will bring high quality and fully legal cannabis-based products to the Northern Ireland high street. Shop owner Brian Geraghty has said that he is fully devoted to making reliable and affordable CBD fully accessible to the people of Northern Ireland. CBD Farmacy produce their own products and are currently making around 300 bottles an hour. Mr. Geraghty has stressed that there is a demand from local consumers for the products.
“I think it was only a matter of time before cannabis-based products hit Northern Ireland,” he said. “The market is estimated to grow by 700% by 2020 so it's exciting times”, commented the owner.
A rise in demand comes as no surprise given the UK government officially made cannabis-based medicines accessible to the Northern Ireland public in November 2018. The cannabis-derived medicine is only available via prescription from a specialist doctor, but non-the less is a step in the right direction.
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Store already proving popular
Scientific research is very much underway when it comes to CBD and CBD oil specifically, but it is still in its infancy. Despite relentless uncertainties surrounding CBD's medical benefits, the public demand access to this wellness product. CBD Farmacy’s status has already been proven popular with a well-known Northern Ireland athlete who attended the grand opening. Mixed Martial Arts fighter Leah McCourt was pictured at the store’s launch in Belfast on May 18.
Mr Geraghty has further commented to say that CBD Farmacy was not promoting their products as medicine, and advised anyone with health problems to consult their doctor first. Although CBD is currently legal in Ireland and the UK –providing it has less than 0.2% THC- some business owners have recently been faced with barriers.
This comes after a highly regarded CBD Café in Galway suffered a police raid just a few weeks past, despite being in full compliance with Irish law.
