HONG KONG – Cannabis may be illegal in Hong Kong, but a new cafe is offering a range of food and drinks that contain parts of the cannabis plant without breaking any local laws.<\/p>\n
The cafe, named Found, is the city's first to offer a range of coffees, biscuits, beer and fruit juices that contain cannabidiol, or CBD, a substance from the cannabis plant that is said to offer therapeutic effects without getting users intoxicated.<\/p>\n
Cannabis's tetrahydrocannabinol compound — commonly known as THC — is the psychoactive ingredient that gives users a high. But unlike THC, CBD is typically used to help reduce stress without the high.<\/p>\n
One Found customer, Killian Hussey, who works in finance in Hong Kong, said consuming CBD coffee is relaxing.<\/p>\n
“The coffee is delicious, and I like the effect that the CBD has on me,” Hussey said. “Cognitively and physically, it kind of helps me get through the aches and pains of a normal day.”<\/p>\n
A bottle of cold CBD-infused coffee costs 80 Hong Kong dollars ($10) at Found, while a can of CBD beer is HK$70 ($9). The cafe, which had a soft opening this month, is expected to be fully operational in October.<\/p>\n
“Hong Kong is actually one of Asia’s most progressive cannabinoid markets," said Fiachra Mullen, co-owner of Altum International, a cannabinoids supplier in Asia that operates Found. “Unlike other parts of the region — Australia, New Zealand, Singapore — it’s actually quite a progressive cannabinoid law in Hong Kong.”<\/p>\n
Mullen said that he hopes the cafe can help break down the stigma surrounding CBD products, and wants to distance CBD from cannabis and the recreational use of drugs.<\/p>\n
Found can sell cannabinoids in food as long as there is no THC in the products, he said.<\/p>\n
According to the Hong Kong government’s Centre for Food and Safety, under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, the illicit import of cannabis or any products that contain controlled cannabinoids constitutes a criminal offence.<\/p>\n
Although CBD is a cannabinoid, it is not classified as a dangerous drug under Hong Kong law.<\/p>\n
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