The island’s only cannabis café has begun holding pop-up events in Douglas after leaving its former premises in Ramsey.

The Green Lounge CSC has been hosting pop-ups at The Tea Junction on Castle Street as it looks to find a new permanent home.

Founder Maria Bostock announced on September 28 that the business was leaving its premises on Parliament Street, saying the location had proved too difficult to sustain.

However, she stressed that the move was a relocation rather than the end of the business, with plans already under way to develop its next chapter.

In a post on social media, she said: ‘This is a relocation. It is NOT the end of The Green Lounge.

‘We’re taking what worked, leaving behind what didn’t, and figuring out what the next version looks like.’

The Green Lounge opened earlier this year with the aim of providing a welcoming, alcohol-free environment for medicinal cannabis patients and others looking for a place to socialise.

It offered customers coffee, homemade food, alternative drinks and activities, with an emphasis on building a community where people could spend time without feeling judged.

Maria said the idea behind the business had worked, but the Parliament Street premises had not proved viable.

She said running the café had taken a significant toll financially, physically and emotionally, while also affecting the time she could spend with her children.

‘I started all of this because I wanted to build something better for our future but I am not prepared to miss their present trying to keep one building going,’ she said.

Reflecting on the community that had developed around the café, Maria thanked customers and supporters who had helped make it a welcoming space.

She said: ‘The Green Lounge was never the walls, the furniture or the address. It was the people sitting around the tables.

‘And thankfully, I can take those with me.’