Strainz is here Sweden!! That’s right, in a reverse of the journey so many Swedes took to America over a hundred years ago in search of a better life, a better life has now landed on the shores of Sweden. Let me take you on a journey, a journey that started almost 6 years ago and involved travelling a long, long way, just so I could come back home.
As someone who has ADHD and has suffered from insomnia for many decades, I had been aware of the therapeutic developments in CBD for some time but had not had the opportunity to try it. When I moved to Sweden at the start of the millennium, I found that I was deeply affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder, a situation that only exacerbated my insomnia, with the effects really starting to impact my quality of life.
In 2017 when abroad in the U.S. visiting my family, I was frustratingly explaining my situation to my brother-in-law who is a research physician at Harvard. He had just seen Hugh and Chris Hempel, the founders of Strainz, on CNN discussing their daughters’ situation and the benefits and need for a company that sold a high-quality and regulated CBD product. He turned me on to Strainz and I tried some CBD oil while in America. I was so impressed with the effects of the CBD on my sleep and on my focus, and with Strainz and their mission that almost as soon as I returned to Sweden I went online to order more.
To my dismay and severe disappointment, I found that not only could I not order Strainz in Sweden, I couldn’t order or purchase any CBD products in Sweden!! Before I knew it I had slipped back into my routine of limited and interrupted sleep; I once more accepted being slightly depressed and low on energy for about 7 months of the year, in which I survived the short and dark Winter days by becoming addicted to energy drinks. This situation, as you can imagine, made it even harder for me to battle the concentration and focus challenges that my ADHD brought on. Looking back, it shames me to say it, but I adapted and accepted a much lower standard of health, well-being and happiness – and took this to be my new ‘normal‘.
That all changed in 2020 when the E.U. published a judgment that CBD was no longer to be mistakenly classified as a narcotic. Over the next three years the E.U. continuously loosened the restrictions and re-classified CBD products. As extensive research, scientific testing, and the example of over 33 other nations in the world who had de-criminalized and embraced CBD led the way, the E.U. finally responded. In January 2023 the E.U. wisely, and finally, brought its legislation in-line with the U.S.A., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and many other nations, when it opened its shores and doors to CBD with a THC content of less than 0.3%.
When I heard the new E.U. Directive that changed the status of CBD, I immediately got in touch with my soon to be partner, who was an arthritis sufferer from an old sports injury. Both of us recognized the massive benefits that CBD could provide to our adopted country of Sweden. In this magnificent country filled with physically active and athletic people; a country teeming with outdoor enthusiasts who promoted healthy living and environmental awareness, we knew that CBD would be received as a godsend. So we set about to make it happen.
My partner and I immediately got in touch with Hugh Hempel in Colorado and spoke to him about Strainz and the ideals and principles his company was founded upon. We explained to him the burgeoning landscape of CDB in Europe. We told him of this land of Vasaloppet, of kite-surfing in Varberg and of hiking Kebnekaise. We tried to explain Bandy (didn’t go too well) and the Vätternrundan (definitely didn’t go too well), and the intense and almost manic activity and excitement of a Swedish Summer.
We asked Hugh if we could bring the years of experience and quality that Strainz – as the pioneer in the CBD field — could provide to Europe. The E.U. was ready and eager to embrace the many wonderful benefits that CBD could provide. We wanted Europeans to profit from all the natural and healthy advantages that Americans were reaping in both body and mind.
After hearing our impassioned plea, and I think being so impressed with our attempted explanation of the festivities of an average Mid-Summer weekend, Strainz and Hugh decided to not only let us bring Strainz to Europe — but to let us begin by bringing Strainz to Sweden!! The synergy of what Sweden is all about and what Strainz is all about are so naturally in tune that it just made sense for Sweden to be Strainz’ gateway to Europe.
And so here we are, and we couldn’t be prouder. Strainz, like Sweden, is all about delivering quality. A quality that is driven by an impassioned desire to provide an innovative and scientifically backed product. Strainz is a company that is born of compassion, a compassion that fuels its quest for transformative solutions. CBD is a natural solution that can transform and better the quality of life for so many Swedes; and we are delighted to bring to these shores one of the leaders of this health and well-being revolution.
HELLO SWEDEN - STRAINZ IS HERE!!
