- City authorities draw the line on cannabidiol, despite ongoing debate among experts on risks of abuse
- Some traders still selling remaining stocks of CBD products, which gained popularity in recent years
Peter Li* dumped more than 200 items of cannabidiol (CBD) products at an official collection point, anxious to avoid trouble once Hong Kong’s ban on the cannabis-derived wellness goods takes effect on February 1.
The 35-year-old fashion designer began his side business in July 2021, tapping into the growing popularity of CBD products, which users said relieved stress and pain and improved their sleep.
He developed his own brand of oil, softgel capsules and candies which he sold online and at a shop in Kwun Tong.
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Controversial for their link to cannabis, CBD products were legal until Hong Kong changed the law last year, despite protests from some quarters that banning them would be an overreaction.
© Provided by South China Morning Post A disposal box for CBD products in Queensway Government Offices in Admiralty. Photo: Jonathan Wong
From Wednesday, anyone caught possessing or consuming CBD products will face up to seven years’ jail and a maximum fine of HK$1 million (US$127,720). Those who trade in these products or make them face up to life in jail and a maximum fine of HK$5 million.
Li dumped stocks worth more than HK$100,000 after the authorities encouraged traders to leave whatever they had at 10 collection points before January 30.
Explaining why he did not sell them quickly or give them away, he said: “Possession is banned too, there’s no point in giving trouble to others.”
As a chemical compound derived from the cannabis plant, CBD has been a subject of debate among scientists and law enforcement experts in several countries.
Hong Kong’s ban on products containing CBD comes into effect next week: customs
It is known for its potential medicinal values and being non-psychoactive and not addictive. The World Health Organization said CBD in its pure state did not appear to have abuse potential or cause harm.
However, another chemical compound derived from cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is known to be mind-altering and addictive, and has long been listed as a narcotic in many places, including Hong Kong.
Chemists agreed it was difficult to extract CBD itself from the cannabis plant, and CBD products were likely to contain some THC. Some countries allowed tiny quantities of THC in CBD products, with the US setting it at 0.3 per cent.
CBD products had stayed off the radar of Hong Kong authorities until late 2021, when local media reported their growing popularity, and amid concerns of possible abuse, calls to regulate their use arose.
In January last year, police raided Li’s shop and took away 200 bottles of CBD oils, suspecting that they contained THC.
Seven months later, police told him he was in the clear but did not return his goods or reveal the findings of the government lab tests.
The action against his shop was part of a wave of raids by police and customs officers from late 2021 to early last year.
© Provided by South China Morning Post Hong Kong customs displays confiscated CBD products. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
In January last year, nine people were arrested and HK$14.6 million worth of CBD items suspected of containing THC were seized. Those arrested included employees of Mannings, the city’s largest health and beauty retail chain.
Soon after, then-commissioner for Narcotics Ivy Law Chui-mei said the government would consider controlling CBD. Last October, the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance was amended to add CBD to a list of more than 200 substances, including cocaine and heroin.
As of January 16, about 1,600 CBD items had been left at the collection points, most of them skin care products and oil, the Post learned.
While some businesses hurried to meet the deadline for turning in their stocks, others have tried to sell what they had left.
Two local online stores approached by the Post over the weekend said CBD products were still available.
Trader Victor Indran*, who refused to give up his remaining stocks of CBD-infused beers and oils, said: “I will not dump anything because I have spent so much on the business.”
He said he managed to sell all his stocks to one party, but declined to say more.
His office in Jordan was raided by customs officers in April 2021 after THC was detected in his consignment of CBD cosmetic products at the airport.
The businessman in his 40s was escorted to the customs office, but no action was taken against him.
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More than 200 bottles of CBD oils were seized from his office, but they were returned four months later after being found to be THC-free. He did not get back the cargo seized at the airport, and the case is pending.
Indran, who went into the CBD business in 2020, said using it had helped him become more creative and efficient at work.
“The government is making a mistake with this ban because CBD can be beneficial to a lot of people,” he said.
Veteran social worker Lun Chi-wai, who was also against the ban, said: “The pharmacists said THC can be made from CBD, but in reality, will people intentionally do this? Buying cannabis from the black market is easier.”
The Security Bureau earlier said some young people were eager to try CBD products and that could lead to cannabis abuse, so it was necessary to reinforce the control of related products.
Supporting the ban, William Chui Chun-ming, president of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong, said there was insufficient scientific evidence of the benefits of CBD to lessen pain, control anxiety and manage seizures, whereas there were many drugs for those conditions.
“The problem is not the possible presence of low quantities of THC in CBD products, but the legal loophole that let them in,” he said.
Names changed at interviewees’ request.
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