Hemp-flavoured metro tickets for Berliners

A light-hearted campaign

Are you stressed-out by Christmas preparations, the presents under the tree, or the tedious or even tense Christmas Eve conversations with your family members?

The Berlin public transport company BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe) has the solution! In a very funny video, it offered Berlin public transport users (tram, metro or bus, renamed "cannabus" for the occasion) the opportunity to buy a Hanfticket (hemp ticket) between 13th and 17th December. This 24-hour blister-packed ticket is made of completely edible paper and coated with a thin layer of hemp oil. It was sold for €8.80 (the usual price is €7). The advertising campaign for the hemp ticket, which received a large response far beyond the city of Berlin, used humour and a quirky tone.

However, it also had an educational purpose. The company highlighted the relaxing and de-stressing effects of hemp oil. It also stated that the tickets did not contain CBD, let alone THC, and did not pose any health risk to consumers. In a joking manner, it even apologised to tourists going to the Berghain, a techno nightclub where ecstasy is easily available, for the tickets’ safety.

An educational purpose

This advertising campaign was perfect. The video promoting the Hanfticket has been viewed more than 2 million times and has generated many comments on social networks. It also provides the opportunity for Berliners to learn about the differences between the various varieties of cannabis.

The BVG company ensured the campaign was particularly educational by providing a lot of information about the hemp oil used. It pointed out that the hemp on the tickets sold (a few drops on each ticket) may remind some users of the products sold on the street in Neukölln and Kreuzberg, two formerly working-class neighbourhoods now inhabited by the fashionable middle-class. However, it has nothing in common with cannabis sold for recreational purposes.

The hemp oil used in the advertising campaign was extracted from the seeds of cannabis plants and does not contain cannabinoids, which mainly comes from the flowers. The BVG compares hemp oil with commonly used food oils such as sunflower, rapeseed and olive oil. Therefore, it has no impact on the health of consumers.

This clarification comes at a time when the new governing coalition wants to relax German cannabis legislation. The socialist-ecologist-liberal coalition of Chancellor Olaf Schölz’s new government does discuss the legalisation of cannabis. The new government stated its intention to introduce the controlled distribution of recreational cannabis for adults through licensed shops.

Beyond the simple and successful cannabis campaign during the festive season, BVG’s promotion also reflects the change in German mentality and policy. A change that will be closely followed by neighbouring European countries, such as France.