Hong Kong will ban CBD starting Wednesday, categorizing it as a “dangerous drug" and mandating harsh penalties for its smuggling, production and possession, customs authorities announced Friday. Supporters say CBD can treat a range of ailments including anxiety and that, unlike its more famous cousin THC — which is already illegal in Hong Kong — CBD doesn’t get users high. Cannabidiol, derived from the cannabis plant, was previously legal in Hong Kong, where bars and shops sold products containing it. But Hong Kong authorities decided last year to prohibit the marijuana-derived substance — a change that will soon go into effect. Residents were given three months from Oct. 27 to dispose of their CBD products in special boxes set up around the city. “Starting from February 1, cannabidiol, aka CBD, will be regarded as a dangerous drug and will be supervised and managed by the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance," customs intelligence officer Au-Yeung Ka-lun said at a news briefing. “As of then, transporting CBD for sale, including import and export, as well as producing, possessing and consuming CBD, will be illegal,” Au-Yeung said. Penalties include up to life in prison and Hong Kong $5 million ($638,000) in fines for importing, exporting or producing CBD. Possession of the substance can result in a sentence of up to seven years and Hong Kong $1 million ($128,000) in fines. Read more: Thousands protest as bid to block Hong Kong mask ban fails In announcing the ban last year, the Hong Kong government cited the difficulty of isolating pure CBD from cannabis, the possibility of contamination with THC during the production process and the relative ease by which CBD can be converted to THC. “We will tackle all kinds of dangerous drugs from all angles and all ends, and the intelligence-led enforcement action is our major goal,” Chan Kai-ho, a divisional commander with the department's Airport Command, told reporters Friday. Despite the harsh penalties mandated, Chan said authorities would handle enforcement on a case-by-case basis and “seek legal advice from our Department of Justice to determine what the further actions will be.” Hong Kong maintains several categories of “dangerous drugs," which include “hard drugs" such as heroin and cocaine, as well as marijuana. Hong Kong's first CBD cafe opened in 2020 and the ban will force scores of businesses to remove CBD-infused gummies, drinks and other products, or shut down altogether. The ban is in keeping with a zero-tolerance policy toward drugs in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous southern Chinese business hub, as well as on mainland China, where CBD was banned in 2022. Chinese authorities have waged battles against heroin and methamphetamines, particularly in the southwest bordering on the drug-producing Golden Triangle region spanning parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. Criminal penalties for both sale and usage are also enforced for marijuana. In one of the most high-profile cases, Jaycee Chan, the son of Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, served a six month sentence in 2014-2015 for allowing people to consume marijuana in his Beijing apartment amid a crackdown on illegal narcotics in the Chinese capital. Read more: Hong Kong hears first case on mask ban violation At the same time, China has been a main source of the precursor chemicals used to manufacture the dangerous drug fentanyl, a trade often facilitated through social media. A wealthy Asian financial center with a thriving commercial port and major international airport, Hong Kong is a key point of entry to China as well as a market for some drugs, especially cocaine. Police have recently seized hundreds of kilograms (pounds) of the drug worth tens of millions of dollars, some of it hidden in a shipment of chicken feet from Brazil. Most Asian nations maintain strict drug laws and enforce harsh penalties for violators, including the death penalty, with the exception of Thailand, which made it legal to cultivate and possess marijuana last year. Debate over CBD policy continues in many countries and regions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday there's not enough evidence about CBD to confirm that it’s safe for consumption in foods or as a dietary supplement. It called on Congress to create new rules for the massive and growing market. Marijuana-derived products have become increasingly popular in lotions, tinctures and foods, while their legal status has been murky in the U.S., where several states have legalized or decriminalized substances that remain illegal federally.

The iconic Purbachal Central Business District (CBD) project has been officially launched at the Bangladesh Economic Forum 2022 in Dubai. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Private Industries and Investment advisor to the Prime Minister Salman F Rahman, and Chairman of the Private Office of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisal Al Qassimi, Thomasz Zaleski were present at the event held at an upscale Dubai hotel on Thursday. Sikder Group has conceptualised the development of the high-end integrated real estate project in the new town of Purbachal having all modern amenities and cutting-edge technologies. This project is directly aligned with the Prime Minister’s dream of establishing Bangladesh as a ‘globally integrated regional economic and commercial hub’. This mega CBD project site is spread across a 114-acre land parcel in Purbachal New Town. PowerPac Holdings Ltd, a concern of the Sikder Group, will develop the CBD. READ: Top officials of Sikder Group, Bashundhara Group visit CBD project at Purbachal The key attraction of this project would be its iconic tri-towers -- Language Tower, Liberation Tower and Legacy Tower. These tri-towers would host high-end real estate space catering to the need of global corporations and the upmarket demand of local and non-resident Bangladeshis. Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) awarded the CBD contract to the consortium of PowerPac Holdings Limited (subsidiary of Sikder Group) and Kajima Corporation (Japanese conglomerate). Purbachal CBD is poised to shape up as a global business hub with all world-class facilities, including sophisticated business centre, commercial spaces, retail shops, luxurious apartments, convention centre, hospital, international school and all other necessary community facilities to modernise Dhaka’s skyline on the allocated land in Purbachal. READ: UAE, Philippines to investment in CBD project at Purbachal new town With this official launching, the project will have a significant impact in its ongoing development activities, the PowerPac Holdings said in a release.