In this article we will explain how you can increase your earnings by expanding your commercial offering. In these moments of crisis it is important to find new solutions, open up to new horizons and discover how to grow your business. Specifically, we will address some very important topics such as:
- Cannabis light at the bar, is it possible?
- More customers with cannabis
- El Cafè, a weed bar in the heart of Campania
- Cannabis and alcohol an impossible combination?
- What is light cannabis used for?
Cannabis light at the bar, is it possible?
Selling light cannabis behind the bar counter is possible. Thanks to law 242/2016, the sale of cannabis sativa inflorescences with a high CBD content, a "good" cannabinoid that positively affects sleep, inflammation, stress and chronic pain, is legal in Italy.
Legal cannabis can be sold in any commercial establishment, as long as the substance is "free of doping efficacy", as required by a ruling of the Court of Cassation of June 2019. You just need to respect law 242 of 2016 and be sure that there is a THC level lower than legal limits.
The sale of light cannabis is a good way to expand your commercial offering , offering customers a new, Italian product with many beneficial properties. When all legal limits are respected, no particular authorizations are required for the sale of legal hemp, which can become the core business of the activity or be sold as an accessory product , useful for expanding its commercial offer.
Light cannabis is not just inflorescences: in fact, many products are obtained from hemp - flours and derivatives, oil, cosmetic products and even beer. Furthermore, Italian law allows the sale of inflorescences, but not their consumption for recreational purposes. This is a legislative gap that has been partially filled by the ruling of the Court of Cassation, but which still prohibits the marketing of cannabis inflorescences for recreational purposes, allowing it only for reasons of collecting and scientific research.
More customers with cannabis
Introducing a new product into an established commercial offering is always a gamble; customers can appreciate the novelty or experience it as a shock, but to find out, there is only one way: try. If you manage a bar frequented by sixty-year-old trump players, introducing cannabis light probably won't raise the monthly budget much, on the contrary, it could scare customers and make them feel disoriented. If your place, however, has a young clientele who might be interested in buying cannabis, however, the situation will be very different. With young people, word of mouth would be immediate: a bar that sells light cannabis declares itself as a weed-friendly place, in which young people could recognize themselves and feel safe.
As already mentioned, however, Italian law only allows the sale of light cannabis and prohibits its recreational use. So no problem with the sale, but be careful to encourage consumption. To avoid getting into trouble, stay away from commercials and posts on social media in which you invite your customers to consume the product or smoke it in company outside your establishment; you could incur even high fines.
If, however, you want to give a more defined character to your place, you could also decide not to limit yourself to the sale of inflorescences alone, integrating cannabis into your menu too. This would make your bar a place to consume otherwise unobtainable products, such as a hemp milk cappuccino - which contains 15% more calcium than cow's milk - or a brioche made with honey and hemp flour . Many products can be obtained from cannabis, you just need to know them and know how to mix them competently. Transforming your bar into a weed bar would be a great business idea! Without thinking about the infinite benefits for customers, who would take Italian products, low in pesticides and rich in fatty acids such as Omega 3 and Omega 6.
El café, a weed bar in the heart of Campania
If the matter has tickled you, here is the story of a bar that decided to launch itself into the hemp business. We are talking about El café, a bar in Pomigliano d'Arco, in the province of Naples. El café is run by two brothers who - at a certain point - decided to change, and put a new espresso blend on sale . It is a particular coffee from Holland, 100% THC free, distributed by the Cannabis Store Amsterdam company. It is relaxing and has a pleasant taste to the smell, without any "drugging" effect . The drink can be enjoyed at the bar counter or it can be purchased and taken home, in convenient pods, compatible with most domestic coffee machines.
The Amsterdam café was an immediate success and the two decided to bet everything on cannabis. After the coffee it was the turn of cannabis tea , which can be consumed at the bar or taken home in convenient sachets. On the occasion of Easter 2019, El café also tried its hand at selling cannabis-infused Easter eggs . The success, needless to say, was immediate.
Cannabis and alcohol: an impossible combination?
Selling light cannabis on premises is legal, but what happens if the herb is consumed together with alcohol? Although popular beliefs advise against consuming cannabis together with alcohol and spirits, the truth is different. Cannabinoids are often mixed with alcohol , including for medicinal purposes, as the substance is not water-soluble and requires diluting in fatty or alcoholic compounds. It is certain that, as with many other issues, it is a question of making common sense work. Many of the light cannabis products contain an alcohol-based cannabinoid extraction, because for several recipes - such as cannabis water and drinks, chewing gums and medicinal drops - fat-based concentrates do not work.
What about beer and wine? Hops and cannabis are similar plants and pairing them is becoming increasingly popular in Europe. Although it is a very common product, many have doubts about its composition, the presence of THC, the effects and even the taste. The cannabis beer on the market in Italy is absolutely legal because it is produced starting from authorized ingredients and a THC content within the legal limits .
THC-based beers are not legal in Italy, because associating this cannabinoid with alcoholic substances causes a much greater dizziness than taking the two substances separately. Hemp beer, very legal in Italy, contains many other natural, non-psychoactive cannabinoids.
With wine things get very interesting. Unlike beer, wine has a complex molecular structure, much more complex than that of cannabis. When wine and cannabis are combined, the olfactory experience improves exponentially. For example, “ lemony ” cannabis strains pair well with dry whites such as Sauvignon, Pinot, and Chardonnay, although many smokers prefer Merlot, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir due to the low level of tannins.
What is light cannabis used for?
Light cannabis can be sold in the form of leaves, inflorescences, oil, resin and boasts a long series of beneficial properties, but must never be confused with therapeutic cannabis, used in the healthcare sector to treat the symptoms of many pathologies. The taste and smell are very similar to those of traditional cannabis, while what makes the difference are the percentages of THC and CBD . TCH , an active ingredient with psychotropic effects, is contained in traces within light cannabis and, by law, must be less than 0.2% ; on the other hand, CBD, a "good" active ingredient completely devoid of psychoactive effects, can have much higher percentages.
Let's see what the main properties of CBD are:
- reduction of inflammation and painful states, especially in case of chronic pain;
- treatment of anxiety and pathologies such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD);
- antipsychotic effect, especially in bipolar disorders;
- antiemetic properties;
- anticonvulsant properties, also effective in case of epileptic seizures;
- anti-acne, thanks to the ability to block the synthesis of lipids;
- energizing and antioxidant effect, superior to that of many vitamins.
If the article was of interest to you, share it on social media with the rest of the Community, every single share helps us support our blog and keep you fully informed about the world of Cannabis.
You might also be interested in:
