LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — What’s on the menu at Carl's Junior this Saturday in Denver is specially made for anyone whose cravings go beyond just a simple cheeseburger.
It’s called the Rocky Mountain High Cheeseburger Delight. It features a sauce infused with CBD. But it won’t give you a Rocky Mountain “high.”
CBD is the part of cannabis that does not contain THC and there is no psychoactive component.
While it’s clear Carl's Junior is trying to get a jump on the biggest food trend of the year, Joe Vargas, founder and CEO of Las Vegas-based Buy Legal Meds, is a bit perplexed over the appeal.
"When you are talking about processed food. Hamburgers. CBD in hamburgers and fast food,” said Vargas. “It’s kind of an oxymoron. It really doesn’t make much sense."
But he is certainly not against CBD-infused foods.
“Mass market edibles," Vargas said. "If it’s natural. If it’s clean food and it’s not processed then I'm a fan of it. I support it.”
The company itself says consumers should not expect any of the possible health benefits of CBD from eating the burger.
"Watching them or any big company that uses CBD it’s going to be interesting in how they market it and trying to explain to their consumers what it actually helps,” he said.
The restaurant is testing whether it should be a permanent menu item. Denver is an obvious choice for test marketing since the city allows the sale of CBD in restaurant foods. The Southern Nevada Health District does not allow the sale of CBD infused foods in restaurants. But Vargas said as long as people are interested in consuming CBD they're going to want variety.
"People want it. They want it different ways. They don’t just want oils going under their tongue,” he said. “They want to not taste the earthy tastes they want to consume it more of a way that they don't know that they are taking it."
