HK Govt Mulls Banning CBD products

In last few years cafes and shops sell CBD drinks and products 

A few years ago CBD or cannabidiol products started showing up in Hong Kong, from brownies and drinks to essential oils, skin cream and oral drops. The CBD products that come into the city must be certified to have zero THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in cannabis or marijuana.

People could buy, drink or eat these products in shops or cafes to help them relax, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic which made many anxious and had difficulties sleeping. Most recently spas using CBD products opened too. It is considered pretty harmless and not addictive at all, compared to say drinking alcohol.

For those with epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, it can help ease the symptoms and can help ease tremors and muscle spasms in people with Parkinson's. 

Adding CBD oil in coffee drinks is common

Some CBD cafe and importers have said that it was difficult at times to explain to customs officials the difference between CBD and cannabis products, who seemed to not have enough education on the differences between them, that it would be near impossible to get high on a CBD product because it didn't have the THC in it.

But fast forward to today and now the government wants to ban CBD in Hong Kong, and the revamped legislature that consists of practically only pro-Beijing legislators are agreeing with the idea.

According to the Security Bureau's legislative paper, the authorities carried out over 120 operations against those selling or importing CBD and found that one-third of the 4,100 seized items contained THC since 2019.

The paper suggested that CBD should be classified as a dangerous drug, but also said pure CBD did not have abuse potential to get "get high". 

The easiest way to try CBD is by eating, drinking

It added: "it is very difficult to isolate pure CBD from cannabis, and it would not be practical to completely remove THC impurities from CBD isolates."

While this is true, there are only trace amounts of THC, again not enough to get high on.

But this is the extreme reaction of the Hong Kong government, preferring to ban CBD outright without studying its effects on the applications of it.

If and when CBD is banned in the city, people who are highly stressed are going to be even more anxious wondering how they can calm their nerves on a daily or weekly basis. And all those businesses that opened with the hopes of catching the wave of CBD will have to shutter.

There are suggestions the government could have collection points for people to drop off their CBD products, but will they comply?