First CBD Coffee Shop Opens in Ireland
Despite ongoing public protests, Irish authorities currently do not permit the use of CBD. Access to the substance or products containing it is only possible with a special permit issued by the Ministry of Health in exceptional cases. However, Irish residents now have an alternative way to access this therapeutic compound thanks to the opening of Bloom, a café in the town of Waterford that began operating earlier this week. The café legally offers cannabis buds with a high concentration of CBD, as well as coffee infused with cannabinoid extracts.
CBD, Not THC
It’s important to note that Bloom is more of a regular coffee shop serving CBD products, rather than a “coffeeshop” like those found in Amsterdam. First, the establishment does not allow the consumption of cannabis buds on its premises. Second, the café does not sell products containing THC in concentrations high enough to produce noticeable psychoactive effects. The café operates within the law, which prohibits the distribution of THC-containing cannabis, by offering products that do not exceed the legal THC concentration limit of about 0.2%. According to the packaging, the buds sold at Bloom are imported from Croatia.
On the other hand, customers are free to enjoy CBD-infused coffee inside the café and on its patio, as it contains no psychoactive substances.
The First of Its Kind in Ireland
The cannabis plant produces a wide range of active compounds, with over a hundred different cannabinoids. These compounds are responsible for the sedative and psychoactive effects cannabis has on the human body. The most well-known cannabinoid, THC, is directly responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis. In contrast, CBD suppresses these effects and has its own therapeutic, sedative, and modulatory impact on various biological systems in the body.
Unlike THC, which is found in high concentrations only in certain strains of cannabis, CBD can be easily extracted from industrial hemp varieties. For this reason—and because it lacks significant psychoactive effects—many countries consider CBD to be a fully legal and freely distributed substance. Additionally, scientific research from around the world over the past several decades has clearly demonstrated the safety of CBD for human use, as well as its high effectiveness in treating a variety of physiological and psychological conditions, both short-term and chronic. Specifically, CBD reduces inflammation in soft tissues, heals damaged nerve endings, has a calming and modulatory effect on various biological systems (including mitigating the effects of THC), and inhibits the growth of cancer cells in the body. Given the plant’s therapeutic potential, analysts predict that the international CBD extract market will generate around $2.1 billion in revenue in the coming years.
It’s clear that many companies across Europe, recognizing the potential of the CBD market, have started looking for ways to legally distribute CBD products to customers seeking therapeutic cannabis in regions that still enforce strict criminalization. Similar trends have already been observed in Spain, France, and Switzerland. Now, legal CBD sales have reached Ireland as well.
Although Bloom is the first such establishment in the country, it has already begun attracting customers not only from across Ireland but also from the UK, where CBD remains strictly prohibited. The café is located in Waterford at 50 John Street.