Educating on the health and wellbeing benefits of CBD: the Hemp Community
Posted: 25 October 2021, in News
The Hemp Community is a unique business; at first glance we are a friendly little shop that sells CBD food supplements and in fact we were the very first brick and mortar CBD retailer in the country, not to mention the first cannabis positive social enterprise.
As well as our day-to-day trade, we also offer support and advice to a wide variety of individuals and families who are struggling with chronic and often life-changing illnesses. This is our most important work; setting aside the CBD hype and focusing on people, not products. Our mission is to teach people how to support and nourish their endocannabinoid systems, and hopefully have fun and make some friends along the way!|
Our business was founded in 2017 inspired by transformative personal health experience and an unshakeable confidence in the public health potential of cannabis. We see our products as tools that can be used to great effect and after almost four years we are happy to inform that our approach still works.
It hasn’t been easy; unsurprisingly The Hemp Community raises many an eyebrow. Our society and institutions have been conditioned to treat “cannabis people” with suspicion or even contempt. We have experienced the cold shoulder from organisations in both the private and public sectors, and even from other social enterprises.
Undeterred, we continue to reach out to people in need of CBD while the rest of the world catches up with us. The most recent addition to The Hemp Community’s body of work is our podcast. We believe that education and communication are essential if we ever wish to untangle the socio-political knot in which cannabis is bound. It is our intention to use our platform and experience to advance the discussion around cannabis as a health and well-being choice.
Our long-term ambition for the business is growth; not just as an enterprise, but to literally grow cannabis! UK legislation is notoriously restrictive in this regard but some day we want to run an open access hemp farm where people can come and experience living, breathing cannabis alongside a vibrant community of happy, healthy humans.
We envisage a welcoming space where all people can come and learn about these amazing plants and treat themselves to coffee and cake. Of course there are many hills to climb before we can realise this dream, so for now let’s just say that The Hemp Community has deep roots and is hoping to branch out as the world recovers from the Covid pandemic.
From our shop in Edinburgh’s New Town, we continue to engage with anyone and everyone who is interested in improving their health using CBD products. It is our privilege to support people at the beginning of the healing process as well as those who seek assistance in trying to access cannabis on prescription. Just like our favourite plant, we’re here to help.
Dan Collins, Founder and Managing Director of the Hemp Community.
