HONG KONG – Hong Kong will ban CBD from Wednesday, classifying it as a “dangerous drug” and imposing harsh penalties for its smuggling, production and possession, customs officials announced on Friday.
Supporters say CBD can treat a range of ailments, including anxiety, and unlike its more famous cousin THC – which is already illegal in Hong Kong – CBD doesn’t get users high. Cannabidiol, derived from the cannabis plant, was previously legal in Hong Kong, where bars and shops sold products containing it.
But Hong Kong authorities decided last year to ban the marijuana-derived substance — a change that will take effect soon. Residents had three months, starting Oct. 27, to dispose of their CBD products in special boxes that were placed around the city.
“Starting February 1, cannabidiol, also known as CBD, will be considered a dangerous drug and will be monitored and managed by the Dangerous Drugs Regulation,” Au-Yeung Ka-lun, an intelligence official at Customs, said at a news conference.
“From then on, the transportation of CBD for sale, including import and export, as well as the manufacture, possession and consumption of CBD will be illegal,” Au-Yeung said.
Penalties include up to life imprisonment and fines of up to US$5 million (US$638,000) in Hong Kong for importing, exporting or manufacturing CBD. Possession of the substance carries a prison sentence of up to seven years and a $1 million (US$128,000) fine in Hong Kong.
When announcing the ban last year, the Hong Kong government cited the difficulty of isolating pure CBD from cannabis, the potential for contamination with THC during the production process, and the relative ease with which CBD can be converted to THC.
“We will tackle all kinds of dangerous drugs from all angles and all directions, and intelligence enforcement operations are our main objective,” Chan Kai-ho, a division commander at the department’s airport command, told reporters on Friday.
Despite the harsh penalties prescribed, Chan said authorities would handle enforcement on a case-by-case basis and “are seeking legal advice from our Department of Justice to determine what further action will be taken.”
Hong Kong maintains several categories of “dangerous drugs,” including “hard drugs” such as heroin and cocaine, and marijuana.
Hong Kong’s first CBD cafe opened in 2020, and the ban will force numerous businesses to remove or shut down CBD-infused chewing gum, beverages and other products.
The ban comes in line with a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous southern China economic hub, as well as in mainland China, where CBD was banned in 2022.
Chinese authorities have waged battles against heroin and methamphetamines, particularly in the southwest bordering the drug-producing Golden Triangle region, which stretches across parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.
Criminal penalties are also imposed on marijuana for both sale and use. In one of the most prominent cases, Jaycee Chan, son of Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, was serving a six-month prison sentence 2014-2015 for allowing people to use marijuana at his apartment in Beijing during a crackdown on illegal narcotics in the Chinese capital.
At the same time, China has been a major source of the precursor chemicals used to manufacture the dangerous drug fentanyl, a trade often made possible by social media.
A prosperous Asian financial center with a thriving commercial port and a major international airport, Hong Kong is a major gateway to China and a market for some drugs, particularly cocaine. Police recently seized hundreds of kilograms (pounds) of the drug, worth tens of millions of dollars, some of it hidden in a shipment of chicken feet from Brazil.
Most Asian nations adhere to strict drug laws and impose harsh penalties for violations. including the death penaltywith the exception of Thailand, making it legal to grow and possess marijuana last year.
Debate on CBD policy continues in many countries and regions.
This was announced by the US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday There isn’t enough evidence on CBD to confirm that it’s safe for consumption in food or as a dietary supplement. It asked Congress to create new rules for the huge and growing market.
Marijuana-derived products are gaining popularity in lotions, tinctures, and edibles, while their legal status is unclear in the US, where several states have legalized or decriminalized substances that remain illegal at the federal level.
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News assistant Caroline Chen contributed to this report from Beijing.
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