Manuel Stamper used to spend nights wandering the streets of Madrid as a night club promoter but, when the pandemic hit and parties shut down Stamper and his best friend decided it was time to build a new career in cannabis. They are now co-owners of SoytuCBD with two store locations in Calle Cea Bermudez and Calle Sainz de Baranda, as well as an online store.
Daniel Diago works at the SoytuCBD shop on Calle Cea Bermudez. Inside the large shop, catchy hip-hop beats play on the speakers and the walls are lined with different varieties of products from cosmetics to oils made with cannabis.
“This guy is a sort of visionary.” Diago said referring to Stamper. “But it seems like it wasn’t just him with this idea. Stores have been showing up all over Madrid, all over Spain even! We are catching up with the rest of the EU. Countries like Switzerland and Italy have had shops for years now.”
Stampers’ shops, co-owned with his best friend Alejandro Dalre, are among at least 25 Other CBD shops that have opened in Madrid since 2019. Two other franchises, CBWeed and Flower Farm, are both Italian owned and have been increasing their in-store locations over the past two years.
All stores sell oils and flowers in an abundance of flavors such as Gorilla Glue, Blue Dream, Strawberry Shortcake and White Widow. Some shops have a range of cosmetics from eye cream to hair shiner. A few even sell cannabis pet shampoo or oils to sooth your furry best friend.
The CBD business has been increasing across Spain despite that marijuana is still illegal in Spain for recreational use.
“We actually sell the flower for the aroma,” said Diago, “if you open the jar, it fills your room with its scent.”
The law in Spain says that cannabis products are legal to sell if they contain less than .2% THC, the psychoactive ingredient from the plant.
“When we market our products, we don’t make it seem like it’s for smoking or consumption like the tobacco companies do,” said Adrian Diaz, an employee at another CBD chain. “We only market the different flavors and scents.”
Angelo de Robertis, co-owner of CBWeed, said in an interview on the company’s website that the association with marijuana on the legislative level is what has been slowing down the growth of the CBD market in Europe. Although hemp and CBD are legal, there are restrictions that are keeping the industry from growing as much like in countries such as the United States and Canada.
In October of 2021, the Socialist party of Spain voted against legalizing marijuana for recreational use, according to El País. The leftist group Más País proposed the legalization for recreational use saying that banning marijuana only increases more consumption, crime and damage to health.
CBD products are popular amongst older people searching for relief with arthritis and other body pains. Younger people buy flower to enjoy the taste and scent of marijuana without feeling the high that THC provides.
“Customers are in two groups, those who smoke, and those who don’t,” said Diago. “Those who don’t smoke come in looking for the therapeutic effects that CBD has.”
One of the most frequently sold items is muscle recovery gel. The gel contains anti-inflammatory properties that can help with pain and help you recover after exercise, making it popular amongst athletes.
“People always come back for the gel because it works so well,” said Diago. The gel is most popular amongst older people because cannabidiol helps to relieve chronic joint pain.
At another CBD shop in Madrid, Stephanie Cordoba starts her morning at 10 a.m. and begins by preparing an order for a client she has with cancer.
“He smokes flower to help them with appetite, pain and sleeping,” said Cordoba. “My favorite part of this job is helping people who really need it.”
