Woman Becomes First Person To Be Imprisoned for CBD in Hong Kong

A 32-year-old woman was recently jailed in Hong Kong for CBD possession. According to a report from Agence France-Presse (AFP) She became the first person to be convicted of CBD since Hong Kong officially banned it earlier this year. Possession, consumption, and sale of CBD products are now illegal and classified in the same class as substances such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

The woman was traveling from the United States to Hong Kong on March 29 and had two CBD products with her while going through customs. She also carried 2.2 grams of ketamine and 10 “syringes,” according to the report, but it was not clear whether they were empty or contained a specific substance.

On July 7, the woman was sentenced to two months in prison for two counts of drug possession and one count of a syringe.Hong Kong customs officer It said her conviction “reflects the gravity of the crime and serves as a clear warning to the general public.”

Under current Hong Kong law, criminals caught in the CBD face up to seven years in prison and fines of up to HK$1 million (approximately US$128,000). Those caught importing, exporting or manufacturing CBD will face harsher penalties. Authorities say one of the main reasons leading to the ban is because CBD can be converted to THC.

China Banned CBD Into Topical Products Or Cosmetics Again 2021, and Hong Kong followed suit earlier this year in February. “From February 1, cannabidiol, also known as CBD, will be considered a dangerous drug and will be regulated and controlled by the Dangerous Drugs Act,” the customs officer said. “From that point on, it will be illegal not only to produce, possess and consume CBD, but also to transport CBD for sale, including imports and exports.”

Zhang Kai-ho, division commander of the ministry’s Airport Command, added in a statement that he would do whatever was necessary to enforce the law. “We tackle all kinds of dangerous drugs from all angles and for all purposes, and intelligence agency-led crackdown action is our primary goal,” Chan said.

Since then, officials have already arrested six people within the first three months of the CBD ban, but said none have ever been jailed for a CBD conviction. Authorities also said they had seized 852 CBD products during that period, valued at around $16,600, all of which were taken from people entering Hong Kong.

Back in September 2020, Hong Kong’s first CBD cafe ‘Found’ opened, offering a range of CBD-based products including CBD oil, powders used in food, butter, pet supplies, infused beer and coffee. . However, in August 2022, it announced that it would be closing due to an upcoming ban. “Sadly, it has become clear that the Hong Kong government intends to enact new laws banning the sale and possession of CBD, despite the obvious positive impact,” Found wrote in an article. instagram page. “We do not know exactly when it will go into effect, but we expect it to be around the end of 2022 or early 2023. This forces us to make the difficult decision to close the Found Cafe at the end of September. did not.” “

A large amount of cocaine and cannabis worth HK$650 million (US$83 million) was seized by Hong Kong police in May. In what has been described as the largest seizure of the year, “the cannabis flower buds seized this time were kept in frozen fish,” Chief Inspector Cham Yukwon explained. “We believe drug cartels used this method to mask the smell of marijuana with the pungent smell of frozen fish.” According to Hong Kong law, the maximum sentence for drug trafficking could be life imprisonment. There is