Her grandmother used to make her a glass of warm milk to help her get to sleep. Her mother preferred herbal teas of valerian, lemon balm or orange blossom. Manon has her secret recipe in the form of a smoothie.
When she feels stressed, or in the grip of ruminating thoughts, the 30-something Parisian prepares her little homemade mixture: coconut milk, pitted cherries, and especially a few drops of hemp oil, rich in cannabidiol (CBD), a molecule extracted from cannabis. A blow of the mixer and here she is guaranteed to fall into the arms of Morpheus. “It has become a little ritual that relaxes me and allows me to sleep well, supports the young woman, follower of alternative medicine. And when you wake up, no migraines or nausea. “
Manon is not the only one to let herself be carried away by the promise of well-being of these three letters, available in the form of flowers, oil, or food products. Relaxing and soothing, CBD is said to be effective in relieving anxiety and stress, painful periods, and especially sleep disorders, all without the effect of high or addiction. Because, unlike THC (or tetrahydrocannabinol) also present in the cannabis plant, the molecule is neither a psychotropic nor a narcotic.
Commercial Eldorado
An attractive product therefore, in this period of health crisis, a factor of anxiety and fatigue. Since the start of the pandemic, three quarters of French people say they suffer from sleep disorders. The lack of perspective, the decrease in physical activity, the increased time in front of the screens and the isolation have thrown many biological clocks into a panic. Result: accustomed to short nights, nocturnal awakenings and sorrowful mornings, anxious on all sides or simply curious let themselves be tempted by the supposedly almost miraculous virtues of the molecule, praised over the posts on social networks and by the vendors of specialty shops, who have invaded the sidewalks like bad (or good) grass.
In the Odéon district in Paris, no less than three stores within a perimeter of a few streets. And the phenomenon is found everywhere in France. According to the Professional Hemp Union created in 2018, there are at least 500 of them. And at the rate of five to ten openings per week, not to mention the online offer, also booming, “cannabis light” is on the rise. ‘commercial eldorado. All this since, in November 2020, the European Court of Justice ruled illegal the ban in France on the sale of CBD.
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