The very first cannabis themed coffee shop has opened in our area - and yes, it is legal!

Starbuds Coffee on Chesterfield Road in Sheffield has already been up and running for a few months but owner Imogen Pollard has now officially launched her new business - and spoken out to assure customers that the shop is totally legal.

"The first thing people ask when they order a coffee is 'will it get me high?' Absolutely not because if it did, we wouldn't be allowed to be in business.

"We want to get the message out there that we're offering something a bit different, but its not about getting stoned or high or anything like that.

"We are offering coffees and cakes that can help people with ailments and medical conditions. That's what the shop is all about."

Imogen, 34, was moved to start up Starbuds (and more about that name later!) after seeing CBD cafes springing up in other parts of the country.

CBD - or Cannabidiol - is a legal cannabinoid, a chemcial found in cannabis, and can be sold in the UK.

It's not the psychoactive cannabinoid that gets you high called THC.

Instead, its a product that many users believe to have medicinal properties which help with pain relief for a number of conditions including cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer's.

It also helps people with stress and anxiety relax.

Imogen added: "If it was illegal, we wouldn't be allow to sell it. Lots of our customers say it helps them relax, it takes away pain and helps ease them through the day.

"It help shifts the brain fuzz that we all get in our daily lives and takes the edge off things for a lot of people."

The cafe serves up traditional coffees laced with CBD as well as cakes infused with the extract.

Both are perfectly legal and the shop attracts coffee lovers of all ages - although customers can also order drinks without CBD shots in them.

She added: "There's a stigma attached that we want to get rid of. CBD is becoming a big new thing in the UK and nobody else is doing it in Sheffield and we wanted to be the first.

"The reaction has been very positive," said Imogen, a former retail manager.

"People looking for pain relief have been looking at alternatives and that's what we are - an alternative."

The shop conjures up the air of a traditional Amsterdam coffee shop - the Dutch city where of course, its legal to smoke cannabis in public.

But despite depictions of cannabis leaves across the premises, that's where the similarity ends.

"We wanted to emulate that vibe," she adds. "But at the end of the day, we're just a coffee shop offering drinks with CBD in them."

However, the shop is not without some controversy - American coffee giant Starbucks has already ordered Imogen to change the name of the cafe.

"It was a cheeky nod to Starbucks," she added, "but they said the name and logo was too similar to theirs and want us to change it.

"We don't really have a choice because they are so huge, so we'll have to think of something new. It has given people a laugh when they have seen the name driving past though."

She plans to extend the range of CBD products on offer over the coming months as well as applying for an alcohol licence.

The cafe, at 111 Chesterfield Road, is open from 9am to 5pm, seven days a week.