Hong Kong proposes banning CBD products within year, after one third of such items sold in city found to contain traces of illegal active ingredient in marijuana
- Security Bureau proposes listing CBD under Dangerous Drugs Ordinance in bid to prevent circulation of products with the substance in city
- Retailers, however, argue they should be allowed to sell CBD-infused products as long as items have been verified safe for use
Hong Kong’s law enforcement authorities have proposed banning CBD products within this year after finding that a third of such items sold in the city contain traces of an illegal active ingredient in marijuana.
But retailers have expressed reservations, arguing they should be allowed to sell such products as long as the items have undergone laboratory testing and are verified safe for use.
The Security Bureau had last week submitted a paper to the Legislative Council proposing amendments to list CBD – or cannabidiol, a substance derived from cannabis and its close relative, hemp – under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance within 2022.
The changes, if approved, would prohibit the manufacture, import, export, supply, sale, possession and transshipment of products containing CBD in the city.
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Use of CBD would be exempted if it was prescribed under the ordinance or with a licence issued by the Department of Health, the paper added.