Press

“The entire hemp industry is exposed to a policy that is neither scientifically nor legally comprehensible. The last few years have been marked by a jumble of decisions that seriously endanger our industry”, says Sofie Sagmeister, whose company Magu not only sells CBD products but also develops them.

The clientele is very mixed, says Sagmeister: “The youngest customer was 18, the oldest 95 years old.” And: “Very few fit the stoner cliché.” So why cannabis? “Back to nature. For relaxation, as a preventive measure, against sleep disorders and pain”, Sagmeister sums up.

“What speaks for and what against the legalisation of cannabis in Austria?” – This question was also put to Juri Scotland, molecular biologist and founder of MAGU. “The enjoyment and use of cannabis should be legalised – but at the same time cultivation should be strictly regulated.” Legalisation is desirable, but strict monitoring is also needed.

“We are committed to finally introducing standardised quality controls for cannabis products. Consumer protection and the protection of young people are important concerns for us”, says Sofie Sagmeister. As she and her two co-founders were not satisfied with the cannabis sold on the market, MAGU and MAWU grow hemp in their own hemp works in Vienna.

CBD for heroes during the coronavirus crisis

The company also wants to make a contribution, as Sofie Sagmeister from Magu tells KURIER: “We want to support nursing staff and doctors, shop employees, police officers and everyone else who keeps the vital networks going, to keep a cool head and focus – and give them a little relaxation.”

Specifically, Magu wants to give away several hundred bottles of CBD oil or sprays to the “heroes of the crisis”. 

(…) The customer is 62 years old and her name is Silvia. “I had cancer and had to have surgery. The pain has remained.” Her doctor prescribed morphine. A strong narcotic that is addictive. “I don’t want to take that stuff”, says Silvia. She searched the internet for alternatives and found MAGU. A shop in Stiftgasse in Vienna’s Neubau district that sells dried cannabis flowers.

Magu CBD, the Austrian CBD company, commissioned the market research institute INTEGRAL to carry out a cannabis survey to capture the mood of the population with regard to cannabis, in particular the non-intoxicating CBD variant. It turns out that Austria’s citizens are not only quite well informed about the subject, but their attitude towards cannabis is also considerably more progressive than politicians would like to admit.

En Viena se puede comprar marihuana legal: Una tienda vende cogollos de cannabis con una cantidad tan escasa de su principio psicoactivo que no infringe la ley. Y lo hace con tanto éxito que casi siempre están agotados.

Un goteo continuo de clientes llega a la tienda, algunos de ellos con cierta inseguridad, como una mujer de 74 años que cuenta que la envió su médico para comprar un aceite de cannabis.

“Tengo problemas de sueño por una sensibilidad nerviosa y parece que viene bien”, asegura esta mujer…

“According to the WHO, CBD has a particularly good safety profile. Accordingly, the trend is towards a plant-based, fast-growing raw material”, says Sofie Sagmeister, Head of Communications at Magu CBD.

But the company is even prouder of its own development, says the molecular biologist: “Thanks to an innovative method, we have managed to offer CBD, which is normally only soluble in fat, in water-soluble form: CBDeus.“

“It feels like a really good massage that relaxes you completely. Only you don’t get tired, you can concentrate, because your head has been massaged too.“, says Sofie Sagmeister in conversation with author Katharina Meyer zu Eppendorf.

“We see meaning in what we do. We want to improve the health of many people with CBD.”