Hong Kong now not permits the promote and consumption of all types of pet meals and well being merchandise made with cannabidiol (CBD) following a complete ban on CBD by the Hong Kong authorities since February 2023.
Most companies that used to supply CBD merchandise for pets have disposed of their remaining shares months in the past. Others utterly shut down their operations and plan to relocate in different nations the place CBD will not be banned.
Earlier than the ban, Hong Kong solely regulated the entry of pharmaceutical merchandise containing CBD. Below the brand new legislation, it’s a crime to own, devour, site visitors and manufacture merchandise with CBD into Hong Kong. Though exemptions and licenses for permitted use will be granted to pick out people like medical professionals, anybody discovered with CBD of their particular person will be jailed for at the very least seven years and fined HK$1 million, whereas CBD traffickers and producers can face life imprisonment and HK$5 million in fines.
On the coronary heart of Hong Kong’s blanket legislative management over CBD is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive substance present in hashish which has already been categorized as a harmful drug. The Hong Kong authorities believes even when merchandise are labeled THC-free, there’ll nonetheless be traces of it that might contaminate a CBD product irrespective of the extent of purification, and that CBD itself may naturally develop into THC. As well as, Hong Kong legislators suppose the jury remains to be out on CBD’s purported well being advantages till authoritative scientific proof turns into obtainable.
CBD in Hong Kong: A case of growth and bust
In 2021, when China banned CBD in all cosmetics merchandise, the displaced firms flocked to Hong Kong for a reset. Different sorts of CBD distributors adopted and Hong Kong noticed the opening of Asia’s first CBD cafe and retail retailer, Discovered, which bought CBD life-style merchandise resembling balms and oils alongside common espresso store fare with a CBD twist. Discovered additionally carried CBD pet merchandise to ease frequent pet illnesses and served Hong Kong’s pampered pets with CBD “puppuchinos” and cannabidiol-flavored treats. With the brand new CBD legislation, Discovered has since closed its doorways, however requested its clientele to comply with its social media pages for updates.
By slamming the brakes on CBD and classifying it as a harmful drug, the Hong Kong authorities additionally successfully cleared pet retailers and on-line shops of their CBD inventories virtually in a single day. A fast seek for “CBD for pets” amongst varied Hong Kong on-line pet retailers now produces zero end result. However one on-line pet store web site seems to nonetheless have CBD items, however presents this caveat: “Please observe that, we now not ship merchandise containing CBD to Hong Kong. Solely merchandise with delivery locations are eligible for Hong Kong and Macau.”
Discovered’s mother or father firm, Altum, which relies in Australia, additionally seems to have a CBD collaboration with Wai Yuen Tong, a widely known conventional Chinese language drugs (TCM) supplier in Hong Kong, that went nowhere after the ban. A pet deal with complement known as Life X Wai Yuen Tong that exhibits up on Altum’s web site was supposed to enrich the vary of TCM pet complement merchandise from the native dispensary. Nonetheless, such product would not seem on Wai Yuen Tong’s on-line store.
In the meantime, all suppliers and retailers of products, together with these within the pet meals business, are suggested to make sure none of their merchandise for Hong Kong incorporates any quantities of CBD and to assessment their product packaging and labels for CBD elements.
Alma Buelva is a journalist from the Philippines. When she’s not writing about enterprise and know-how, she devotes her time to caring for animals and writing about them, too.
