Both recreational and medical marijuana are illegal in China.
Cannabis is treated as a drug in China, and possession of cannabis carries severe penalties, including the death penalty. In fact, it is said that if you only use a small amount, you will be detained for a few weeks.
And if you are diagnosed as an addict, you will undergo three years of rehabilitation and three years of social rehabilitation programs.
There are harsher penalties for smuggling marijuana, with possession of more than 50 grams in some cases resulting in the death penalty.
However, the cultivation of industrial marijuana is thriving in China.
In recent years, China has continued to focus on the cultivation of industrial marijuana.
Medical cannabis in China
Medical cannabis is illegal in China.
The use of marijuana for medical purposes is treated the same as heroin, cocaine, and other drugs, and is subject to penalties.
Possession or use of marijuana is punishable by imprisonment, and depending on the amount of possession, the punishment may be severe.
In China, industrial hemp is widely cultivated, but the use of CBD ingredients in food and pharmaceuticals is not permitted, and only cosmetics are officially permitted at this stage.
Industrial Hemp in China
In China, both medical marijuana and recreational marijuana are strictly regulated, but industrial hemp cultivation is thriving. The two main centers of industrial hemp cultivation are in Yunnan and Heilongjiang provinces. These two provinces have legalized cultivation on an industrial scale.
Other provinces such as Shandong and Anning are also said to be growing industrial hemp, but Yunnan and Heilongjiang are the only two provinces where it is officially regulated by the government.
An ordinance has been amended to define cannabis plants with THC less than 0.3% as industrial hemp, and anyone can cultivate industrial hemp by submitting a notification.
China is said to have the world’s largest industrial hemp cultivation area, surpassing the U.S. and Canada.
The income from growing one hectare of industrial hemp is around 10,000 yuan, which is about four times that of corn.
Highly profitable for farmers, industrial hemp is known as “green gold.
About the share of industrial hemp
China grows industrial hemp, but exports the CBD products it produces to other countries because the distribution of cannabis products within China is illegal.
China is said to have a half share of the industrial cannabis market, with Chinese industrial cannabis sales totaling $1.2 billion in 2018. And with the CBD market growing every year, it is likely that more sales are being recorded.
China is known as the world’s largest producer of industrial hemp and owns more than half of the world’s patents related to the cannabis industry. It is said that half of all industrial hemp imported into the U.S. comes from China.
History of cannabis in China
China has been cultivating cannabis for about 3,000 years, using it as a medicinal herb to treat illnesses and as a food source. Hemp is known as a strong plant, and it is recorded that hemp was used in China for bowstrings and ropes used in warfare.
Bows made from hemp were stronger and more durable than those made from other materials, giving them an advantage. In ancient China, hemp was so valued that vast tracts of land were devoted to hemp cultivation.
Old wall paintings depict people burning marijuana and inhaling its smoke.
Until modern times, marijuana was a familiar presence in China, but regulations have become stricter since drug abuse has been cracked down on.
In 2017, the ordinance on industrial hemp was revised, and once again the cultivation, production, and processing of industrial hemp is attracting attention.
Conclusion
We have introduced the marijuana situation in China.
In China, both recreational marijuana and medical marijuana are banned. While cannabis is strictly regulated, China is known as the world’s largest producer of industrial hemp.
Distribution of CBD products is also prohibited in China, yet China holds more than half of the patents on industrial hemp.
As the CBD market is expected to grow even larger in the future, new products and other products are expected to emerge from Chinese companies.