7-7-2023 (HONG KONG) A 32-year-old woman has been sentenced to two months in jail for violating Hong Kong’s blanket ban on cannabidiol (CBD), becoming the first person to receive a criminal conviction under the new law. CBD, a non-psychoactive derivative of the cannabis plant, is believed to reduce pain, stress, anxiety, and inflammation. However, in February, Hong Kong authorities made it a crime to own, consume, or sell CBD, putting it in the same legal category as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
According to authorities, the woman was found to be carrying two bottles of CBD personal-care products when she cleared customs after arriving from the United States on March 29. She also had 2.2 grams of ketamine and 10 syringes in her possession. The woman’s nationality was not disclosed.
The magistrate sentenced her to two months in jail for two counts of drug possession and one count related to syringes. Hong Kong customs stated that the punishment “reflects the seriousness of the offense and serves as a clear warning to the general public.”
Anyone found to be possessing or consuming CBD faces up to seven years in jail and fines of up to HK$1 million (US$127,000), while import, export, and manufacture draw even stiffer penalties. Hong Kong officials claim that CBD must be banned because it could be converted into the illegal compound THC, the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis.
Mainland China also banned the use of CBD in cosmetic products in 2021. Meanwhile, CBD remains popular worldwide, with gummies, coffee, beer, and beauty creams all part of the industry, which is expected to be worth $47 billion by 2028, up from $4.9 billion in 2021. CBD is legal in the United States and parts of Europe, as well as in some Asian countries such as Japan and Thailand.
Hong Kong officials earlier revealed that they had seized 852 suspected CBD items and arrested six individuals in the first three months of the ban. The majority of the confiscated goods were skincare products, with an estimated total value of around $16,600, and most were intercepted upon entering Hong Kong, according to officials.
