Another hemp shop opens in Poland

While the sale of hemp is banned in Poland, the Cannabis Pharmacy, as it is called, assures the available assortment is made from the plant's botanical variety and does not contain the psychoactive agent, THC.

Spot-checks by the police and sanitary authorities, run since the shop opened earlier this month, confirmed the shop's merchandise can be legally purchased in the country.

"Our products, which contain cannabis extracts, have painkilling and anti-inflammatory properties," shop assistant Danuta Meller told website Wp.pl.

The array of products on offer range from ointments, creams to oils, which help relieve migraine, rheumatism, psoriasis or joint pain, the retailer assures.

While the manufactured goods are diet supplements rather than bona fide pharmaceuticals, this does not stop a steady stream of patrons referred by physicians to treat their maladies with cannabis-based products.

The Cannabis Pharmacy is the fourth such shop in Poland, alongside outlets in the southern cities of Katowice, Rybnik and Rzeszów. (aba/rg)