As of this February 1, consuming a product that contains CBD will be a legal point of consuming heroin or cocaine in Hong Kong. China’s special administrative region has decided to classify the molecule, which is not considered psychotropic, as a “hard drug,” CNN reports.
In connection with a law passed by Hong Kong parliamentarians last June and taking effect on Wednesday, possession and use of CBD is now punishable by 7 years in prison and a HK$1 million fine ( approximately 117,000 euros). Can people who produce, import or export CBD be sentenced to life in prison?
“There is a possibility that you will be arrested”
The decision is also expected to apply to foreign travelers carrying CBD-based products in their luggage. “Possession of any product containing CBD is illegal, so there is a chance you could be arrested,” said Brian Chan Kai-Ho, head of Hong Kong Customs’ air passenger division. South China Morning Mail.
As the number of air passengers will increase in the port city, in connection with the easing of sanitary restriction measures decided in Beijing, local customs have indicated that they will intensify the use of X-rays and ion scanners to detect the presence. of CBD.
This decision comes to a sudden halt to the CBD business, which has been flourishing in the port city for two years, CNN reports. Marketed in cakes, drinks or even in the form of oil, the molecule is presented by its followers as possessing relaxing abilities, which can, for example, help people with sleep disorders.
77,000 returned products
Cafes, bars and shops that previously offered these products only had a few months to adapt or close. “It’s really unfortunate because it’s a missed opportunity,” Luke Yardley, who marketed certain CBD-based drinks, lamented to CNN. They represented 8% of its turnover.
The restaurants and bars in the city whose model was based exclusively on the molecule have had to close for their part. the South China Morning Mail reveals that since the announcement of the ban on CBD, 77,000 products containing it have been returned to the authorities by individuals.
traces of THC
The Hong Kong authorities justified their decision by possible traces of THC, the main psychoactive substance in cannabis, in CBD products. Since 2019, local authorities have carried out 120 operations to measure the THC level of certain products, CNN reports.
Traces of THC would have been discovered in 4,100 of them. In January 2022, Hong Kong Customs arrested nine people and seized 25,000 items after THC was found in CBD derivatives.
In France, the Council of State issued a decision last December that goes in a completely different direction. The judges definitively annulled the government decree that prohibited the sale of the CBD-laden hemp flower and leaf.
“It has not been established that the consumption of the flowers and leaves of these low-THC cannabis varieties poses risks to public health,” even the highest French administrative court detailed.
The sale of CBD products is also authorized in France, as long as the THC content does not exceed 0.3%.
Source: BFM TV
