Hong Kong cafe works around cannabis laws to serve CBD snacks to the masses

From hash to heroin, Hong Kong has a reputation for being hard on drugs. But one business has managed to work its way around the region’s strict cannabis prohibition laws.

Found Café will offer a plethora of snacks and beverages such as biscuits, coffee, tea, juices, and even beer spiked with varying doses of CBD, Sky News reports.

Short for cannabidiol, CBD is a psychoactive but non-intoxicating compound derived from the cannabis plant that has exploded in popularity across the globe over the past few years.

The cannabinoid is used therapeutically for a variety of symptoms and ailments, ranging from inflammation to anxiety.

Patrons hoping for a high, however, will be disappointed to learn that none of the café’s offerings will include THC — tetrahydrocannabinol, the intoxicating compound in cannabis — which would cause the business to run afoul of local drug laws.

But café co-founder Fiachra Mullen notes that the region is markedly liberal with regards to CBD.

“Hong Kong is actually one of Asia’s most progressive cannabinoid markets,” Mullen told Sky News. “Unlike other parts of the region — Australia, New Zealand, Singapore — it’s actually quite a progressive cannabinoid law in Hong Kong, so we can sell most cannabinoids in Hong Kong as foods as long as we don’t have any THC in the products.”

Under Hong Kong’s Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, the import, possession, sale, transportation, and cultivation of THC-containing cannabis and/or cannabis products constitute a serious criminal offence, with penalties ranging from three years to life in prison.

Legality, however, doesn’t necessarily translate to affordability. A CBD-infused cold brew, for example, will set patrons back HK$80 (about C$13.70), whereas an infused mooncake will up the tab another HK$38 (about C$6.50).

As the first and only business in the region serving up CBD snacks, however, Found certainly has novelty on its side. The café had a soft opening this month and is expected to be fully up and running sometime in October.