The following is issued on behalf of the Action Committee Against Narcotics:
 
     In an article published in a newspaper today (November 3), a member from the welfare sector questioned the rationale of controlling cannabidiol (CBD) through legislation and anti-drug policies of the Government.
 
     In recent years, the number of reported cannabis abusers has worryingly increased. Cannabis is an addictive drug and can cause irreversible damage to the abusers' cognitive functions and health. However, young people are often induced by peers or misled by wrong information to take cannabis, mistakenly thinking that it could be harmless.
 
     The public might harbour a misguided perception that cannabis is not a drug when they find that CBD products are widely available in the market. It may also lower the guard of young people against cannabis. In addition, there has been no authoritative conclusion on the claimed benefits of CBD products, and such products would most likely contain tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC), which is psychoactive and a dangerous drug. According to the information provided by the Government, CBD may also naturally decompose into THC and even be used for making THC.
 
     The Chairman of the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN), Dr Donald Li, said, "I am very disappointed by an article written by a social worker. The article is riddled with fallacies which wrongly places the welfare sector and the Government's anti-drug efforts in an adversarial position. It is unfortunate that the article obliterates the efforts of individual welfare organisations in combating drugs. I wish that we can discuss rationally, based on facts and join hands to fight against drugs.

     He continued, "The ACAN supports the Government in stepping up the control of CBD through legislation, so as to end the supply of CBD consumer products in the market to safeguard public health and help combat drug problems. The ACAN will continue to support anti-drug work along with different sectors, including the welfare sector, and to take full advantage of community efforts to promote anti-drug education and publicity, with the aim of sending an anti-drug message to the community, especially young people, to build a drug-free Hong Kong together."

Ends/Thursday, November 3, 2022
Issued at HKT 19:25

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