Hong Kong Customs have arrested a 30-year-old man over an airmail parcel containing two small bottles of cannabidiol (CBD), which was made illegal on February 1.
It was the first arrest of its kind, after authorities placed CBD under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, giving it the same status as heroin and cocaine.
The parcel originated from Denmark, with the bottles declared as skin oil. The liquids totalled around 60 millilitres.
See also: Hong Kong’s zero-tolerance approach to drugs leaves budding CBD industry high and dry
A Wednesday press release said that officers mounted a controlled delivery operation with the package in Yau Ma Tei: “Customs officers found two other bottles of suspected CBD oil and four grams of suspected cannabis buds upon premises search in his working place.”
On Wednesday, officers searched the man’s home in Tseung Kwan O “and found a grinder containing traces of suspected cannabis buds inside the premises,” the press release said.
The items seized were said to have a market value of HK$5,000, according to Customs.
Life sentence and HK$5m fine
While CBD is not psychoactive, authorities say it is inseparable from tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the compound responsible for the “high” produced by cannabis, which is illegal in Hong Kong. Supporters of CBD have argued that the small amount of THC found in CBD products is not sufficient to produce its associated effects.
The government has also said that CBD can decompose and be converted into THC.
Ahead of the February 1 ban, authorities placed disposal boxes at selected government premises to “facilitate the disposal of CBD products,” encouraging members of the public to surrender them before they were criminalised. The government said 77,400 items – mainly skincare products, edible oils and health supplements – were collected.
On Wednesday, Customs warned the public not to bring cannabis or CBD products into Hong Kong. Those convicted of trafficking in a dangerous drug face up to life in prison and a fine of HK$5 million.
