What’s the deal with cannabis in Hong Kong?
As the police force steps up efforts to crack down on cannabis use, City Weekend examines Hong Kong’s evolving relationship with the drug
What is the law on cannabis in Hong Kong?
The use or sale of cannabis is banned in Hong Kong under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, which came into effect in 1969. If a police officer catches someone with a substance they suspect is cannabis, they may send the sample off for testing by a government chemist before charging the individual. But with larger amounts of the substance, a suspect may be brought before the courts while a sample is being tested.
Manufacturing cannabis or any other drug included in the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance is deemed the most serious of all drug-related offences, while trafficking the drug to Hong Kong can also result in a prison sentence.
Any person who cultivates any plant of the genus cannabis faces a HK$100,000 fine and 15 years in prison. There is little pressure for the law to change, unlike countries such as Australia, where there have been moves to legalise cannabis for medicinal use.
Laurence Pak, founder of campaign group Legalise Medical Marijuana in Hong Kong, said there was strong scientific evidence to support the medicinal use of cannabis.
“We would like to see a society where a government goes after criminals who bring harm to others, such as those who commit murders, manslaughter, theft and other similar crimes,” he said. “It is time for Hong Kong to not stay behind.”
He went on to highlight the recent case of a Hong Kong woman who faced court action for selling a cardboard box. The case was eventually dropped after it sparked public outrage.