Stone the pros! Meet a new cannabis-infused gourmet menu

The health benefits of cannabis leaves have long been touted by the medical profession and with the Thai Government’s recent decriminalization of most parts of the marijuana plant, they have now ended up on a fine dining menu.

Anantara Chiang Mai’s The Service 1921 Restaurant and Bar resort has launched what it says is "a healthy and nutrition-rich cannabis-infused menu".

Diners can enjoy signature dishes including deep-fried seabass with crispy cannabis leaves and a cannabis tamarind sauce (above); spicy grilled prawns with traditional Thai herbs and cannabis (below); and braised pork spare ribs with a shitake mushroom and cannabis soup.

Although the THC-rich flowers, buds and seeds remain off-limits, other parts of the plant such as the leaves have been removed from the prohibited list in Thailand.

Cannabis leaves are seen as highly nutritious and contain significant levels of essential vitamins and minerals.

The new menu also includes cannabis-based drinks.

The Service 1921 Restaurant and Bar is situated in a colonial house that is the centerpiece of Anantara Chiang Mai Resort.

Opened in 1921 as the British Consulate, the house is celebrating its centennial this year. It was the former home of the consul’s family and included a courtroom, offices, servants’ quarters and stables for elephants.

Anantara has a portfolio of 35 properties in Thailand, the Maldives, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Zambia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Tunisia, Portugal and Spain. See www.anantara.com.