BERLIN (Reuters) – Berlin’s public transport operator BVG has introduced an edible “hemp ticket” which it jokes can help alleviate the stress of travel at Christmas and take the edge off Berliners’ infamous crabbiness.
The transport company has developed a reputation for cheeky promotional campaigns and this one taps into news coming from the new German coalition that Germany could become the first European country to legalise cannabis and authorise its sale for recreational purposes.
“Of course this is all to be taken with a twinkle in your eye,” said BVG spokesman Jannes Schwentu, adding their message with the ticket was “during the stressful Christmas period take the bus or the underground”.
The BVG says its ticket contains no forbidden substances and is made of edible paper drizzled with hemp oil which comes from the seeds of the cannabis plant, and “is said to have a relaxing effect”.
The hemp oil used in the tickets does not contain cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical compound that creates a sensation of being high.
The tickets, available for one week, cost 8.80 euros ($9.94), and are valid for 24 hours.
“We do make very clear that anyone who wants to use the ticket as an actual ticket, please only nibble on it or eat it after your journey as if it has a bite out of it, it is no longer valid,” Schwentu said.
($1 = 0.8847 euros)
(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa and Tanya Wood, Editing by Miranda Murray, Alexandra Hudson)
