Coffee with a cannabis shot – new CBD cafe could come to Preston

The owner of a Bristol based cannabis cafe has announced plans to branch out into Preston.

Mary-Jane’s sells CBD infused products which claim to boost health and wellbeing if used regularly.

But unlike ‘street’ cannabis, the milkshakes, coffees and cakes on sale won’t get you high.

Founder of Mary-Janes, Jon Antoniou, opened the cafe in Bristol last month and has already announced plans to open a cafe in Blackpool in 2020.

He has also said he is looking at Preston and Burnley for new outlets as he expands his hemp based business.

Jon said: “It’s believed that an estimated 300,000 people in the UK are already regularly taking CBD supplements, the majority of which are purchased on-line and, given the current unregulated nature of the industry, it can be really difficult for people to have confidence in what they’re buying.

“Some CBD products on the market have been tested and found to contain THC which is the other major compound found in the cannabis plant and which is responsible for giving a ‘high’. At Mary-Jane’s we are proud that our products are independently laboratory tested and found to contain no THC.”

Mary-Jane’s Coffee aims to bring CBD infusion to the mainstream by providing a reliable, affordable and great tasting way to take CBD daily. It will also provide a place for customers to meet and share their knowledge and experiences of using CBD.

Shop manager Jay Prince said: “We wanted to ensure that we were approaching this responsibly from the outset.

“You can see this in everything we do in our shop, from our ethical product sourcing and plant-based compostable take away cups, to our energy suppliers who power our coffee machines with 100% renewable electricity.

“Sustainability has always been at the forefront of our decision making so that we are all striving to look after not only our customers but our planet as well.”

Jon added: “It feels amazing to see my vision turned into reality and I can’t wait to expand Mary-Jane’s across the UK.”

What is CBD?

CBD is derived from the cannabis plant and is available to buy legally from health food shops, although it is currently unregulated.

It does not contain THC – the ingredient in cannabis which gets you high.

Synthetic cannabis is available on prescription for certain medical conditions in limited circumstances – such as certain types of epilepsy in children and for chemotherapy patients.

It was licenced for medicinal use last year but so far only around 80 NHS patients have been prescribed any form of synthetic cannabis.

Some people have hailed it a wonder drug for treating a host of conditions such as anxiety, pain, insomnia, but experts say research into these areas is till scant.