Sheffield's first CBD coffee shop is struggling to cope with the demand

Sheffield's first ever CBD coffee shop Starbuds is struggling to cope with the demand due to the high popularity of the cannabis-based chemical.

Imogen Rae from Sheffield founded Starbuds because she recognised that “CBD popularity was on the rise.”

Imogen said: “Three of our eight CBD flavours are currently sold out. Grape and White Widow, the herbs with the highest percentage of the chemical are constantly re-stocked due to the high demand.”

Starbuds CBD menu

Cannabidiol, most commonly known as CBD, is a chemical found in cannabis. It’s legal within the UK because it doesn’t contain any THC - the psychoactive element of cannabis that gets you high.

Scientists analyzed google search data and found that CBD was searched on Google more than ‘meditation’ in 2018 and ‘acupuncture’ in 2017. The chemical is becoming increasingly popular due to its reported health benefits.

Imogen said: “Eighty percent of Starbuds customers buy CBD oil because of its health benefits and the other 20% buy CBD because they are curious.''

The cannabis derived oil has been known to help treat a wide range of health-related issues such as anxiety, epilepsy and chronic pain.

An elderly man who wished to remain anonymous had travelled from Coventry with his wife to visit Starbuds. He was visiting the CBD coffee shop in hope that the cannabis infused oil could help treat his arthritis, a condition he has suffered with for several years.

Starbuds coffee shop on Chesterfield Road, Sheffield.

Karen Worrall, a Sheffield resident who suffers from anxiety and a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body known as Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS), takes CBD to improve her quality of life.

She said: "I think there’s a common stigma attached to CBD because it’s a chemical found in cannabis. I was apprehensive to try it at first. But since I’ve been using it, not only has my condition improved, the side effects of taking lots of medication has too. CBD has improved my quality of life considerably. I couldn’t go a day without it.”