(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong made its first arrest for CBD after criminalizing the cannabis-derived product increasingly used worldwide to treat pain and anxiety.
A 30-year-old man was taken into custody after the city’s customs department opened an air parcel from Denmark and found two bottles of CBD oil inside, according to a customs statement. The package had been labeled as skin oil. Customs officers found two more bottles of suspected CBD oil and four grams of suspected cannabis buds when they searched the suspect’s work place.
A new law criminalizing the possession, consumption and selling of CBD took effect at the start of the month, which places the substance alongside drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Anyone who imports, exports or manufactures CBD faces up to life in jail and a fine of HK$5 million ($637,000), while possession warrants a maximum sentence of seven years and HK$1 million in fines.
The zero tolerance approach toward cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis plants better known as CBD, comes after China last year banned the substance. Some other parts of Asia are becoming more accepting of cannabis. Thailand decriminalized weed last year, while Japan is poised to legalize the use of medical marijuana.
The new law comes as Hong Kong seeks to revive its tourism industry after reopening its borders. The website of the tourism board has a prominent warning about the penalties for CBD use.
In recent years, CDB has become a multi-billion…
