A new shop in Felixstowe selling products based on an ingredient in cannabis is encouraging people to drop the "wacky baccy" mindset and discover the benefits of the "alternative route".
Hazel Baldwin, 48, has opened a Cannabidiol (CBD) shop called Hazel & Co at Beach Street, Felixstowe, the shipping container complex on the seafront.
The CBD shop offers a range of products, including hot chocolate, a coffee alternative, patches, gummies, bath bombs and balms.
Miss Baldwin held an official opening event on Saturday, November 5 and said she was "overwhelmed" by the positive local response.
"It was chaotic. I really wasn't expecting it," she said.
"Because CBD is an ingredient in cannabis, people's minds go straight to 'wacky baccy'.
"What I'm really aiming to do is to bring spirituality and science together to bring a sense of balance to the mind and body."
Miss Baldwin's journey with what she dubs "the alternative route," started when she was involved in a road traffic collision while working for Deutsche Bank in the City of London.
Suddenly, she found herself back in her childhood bedroom in recovery, "overweight, on medication and depressed".
Quite by accident, she picked up an Ashtanga Yoga video at HMV and over the next year, managed to heal her spinal injuries through regular exercise.
After attending one class, the yoga teacher recommended she become an instructor herself and Miss Baldwin said: "It became everything to me. My love, my passion, my life."
During lockdown, she started holding her yoga classes in zoom and noticed that a space to establish a yoga studio in the Beach Street Felixstowe complex had become available.
She had been planning on opening the CBD shop at the same site for a while, but wanted to thoroughly research and test each product before stocking it.
"I'm an on-call firefighter which involves endurance and pushing your body to the max.
"CBD is all about balance and helps with so many problems, including anxiety and PTSD, which are prevalent in the fire service," said Miss Baldwin.
To those who are newcomers to CBD, she believes it is very important to first try "zero to low-cost protocols" such as drinking water, getting enough daylight and working on your breath.
Miss Baldwin added: "Anyone who's ready to begin their journey, I'll always listen and work with you to start with samples and self-knowledge."
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