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First Cannabis Cafe in U.S. Now Open in Tempe

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Behind the counter of The Mint Dispensary, Chef Carylann Principal is whipping up fan favorites like cookies, french fries, and pizza, but with a little something extra.

“Everything here has a cannabis kiss,” said Principal. 

The Mint Dispensary in Tempe, Ariz. recently opened up a cafe, serving cannabis-infused foods. 

Chef says cannabis-infused food helps people with medicinal needs to get nutrients from the food as well as the health benefits of CBD oil, one of the main ingredients in marijuana. 

Chef Principal is a cancer survivor herself, but it wasn’t until years after her remission from cervical cancer that she learned of the benefits from CBD while working as a private chef for a woman with breast cancer. 

“She had a mastectomy and I was her private chef. She brought me this oil and said, ‘What can we make with this?'” said Principal. “Sure enough, she was like ‘I slept for 7 hours last night — the longest I’ve ever slept since before I had cancer.’ I was just so relieved. She was like ‘thank you so much, what else can we make with this?'”

For Chef Principal, every new food out of the oven is a chance to heal. 

“I really put my heart and soul into this. I brought everything I had to make this the best that I could,” said Principal.

The vegetarian cafe serves veggie hot wings, french fries, pizza and a wide assortment of pastries.

Before you come rushing to Tempe for a snack, rules are rules.

“As much as we’d like to have everybody in here to take advantage of the kitchen and the cannabis and the medicine, you still have to have a medical marijuana card for Arizona,” said Raul Molina, Chief Operations Officer.