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Carl’s Jr. Will Make 420 History With A CBD-Infused Burger

Carl’s Jr. Will Make 420 History With A CBD-Infused Burger
PHOTO Marco Verch Professional Photographer and Speaker

Culture

Carl’s Jr. Will Make 420 History With A CBD-Infused Burger

Restaurant chain hopes to cash in on CBD hype.

We’ve created a monster. Well, not us specifically, but over the past few years the media has talked a lot of smack about cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating compound of the cannabis sativa plant, and the discussion, one that began with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has now led a vast majority of the American people to believe that this substance is a miracle cure for all sorts of ailments. And it might be just that, but then again it is hard to praise the health benefits of anything that is set to become an ingredient in fast food. Yep. In case, you haven’t heard, the Carl’s Jr. restaurant chain plans to experiment with a CBD-infused burger at one of its Denver locations, just in time for the 420 holiday, and all we have to say is we hope CBD can cure a stomach-ache.

Hey, what did expect? We live in a capitalist society, one where corporate hounds are always sniffing out the next opportunity to make a buck, so it should come as no surprise that the fast food slingers of the nation are looking to put CBD, which some believe is the next best thing since sliced bread, in a sauce on beef patties squished in between two pieces of, well, sliced bread. It’s the circle of hype, so to speak, a ploy to capitalize on the unofficial holiday of the cannabis culture.

For a limited time, Carl’s Jr. will offer stoned patrons (and sober ones — they aren’t discriminating) the Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight. It is a recipe that almost sounds like it was conjured up in a Bro 2.0 kitchen somewhere after one too many bong rips unleashed a case of the munchies and now self-respect hangs in the balance. This burger comes with two beef patties, pickled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, waffle fries and a unique mix of its Santa Fe sauce containing right around 5 milligrams of CBD. Of course, the restaurant plans to sell this monstrosity for $4.20. But no, this burger will not get anyone stoned. In fact, it is not likely to provide the consumer with any medical benefits either, unless they suffer from severe constipation.

Although the Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight will only be available to Denver customers on Saturday, April 20, Carl’s Jr. is apparently using the event as a way to gauge interest in a nationwide CBD-infused menu. Patty Trevino, the fast food chain’s senior vice president of brand marketing, told Business Insider that the whole scheme is a move to eventually become the first burger joint to bring CBD-infused sandwiches to the American people. “If anyone is going to do it, I would want Carl’s Jr. to do it,” Trevino told the news source.

But there are still some problems with this concept.

Marijuana is an outlaw substance eyes of the federal government, a detail that makes it tricky for nationally recognized businesses to get involved at any level. But last December, Congress passed a bill legalizing industrial hemp nationwide for the first time since 1937, which turned the prospect of cashing-in on hemp-derived CBD products up a notch. Now, CBD is everywhere. But when it comes to incorporating the substance in food, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been sort of weird about it. The agency has essentially said that food and beverages produced with CBD cannot be sold because the substance has not yet gone through its rigorous approval process. It’s a whole confusing affair, one that former commissioner Scott Gottlieb says could take years to hash out unless Congress intervenes and takes it out of the FDA’s hands. For now, the agency will hold hearings on the matter, the first of which is set to take place next month, to learn more about the compound in hopes of offering some regulatory recommendations. Who knows how it will all shake out, and there is any number of articles on the subject that can shed more light on the topic. But, for all intents and purposes, this particular piece is supposed to be a way to crack a few jokes at the prospect at CBD becoming a condiment.

So here goes.

We’re just spit balling here, but anyone thinking about grabbing a Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight (or two) this Saturday as part of their hightinerary can expect to consume more than 420 calories. Only the chain’s 1/3 LB. Lettuce-Wrapped Thick Burger can make that claim. Most of the double burgers sold at Carl’s Jr come closer to the 1,000 calorie mark. So, let’s just say that if CBD-infused fast food eventually becomes a new, exciting trend in the realm of popular cannabis, more Americans across the country are going to be seeing 420 a lot more often — on the bathroom scale.

TELL US, would you try this burger?

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