<p>Hong Kong will outlaw cannabidiol (CBD) by February, the government announced Thursday, placing it in the same category as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine with users facing hefty jail time.</p>.<p>The move is expected to wipe out businesses in the Chinese finance hub that had, until now, been able to sell CBD-infused products such as beers, coffee and health supplements.</p>.<p>The changes to Hong Kong's drug control laws, pending a final round of vetting by the city's rubber-stamp legislature, will take effect from February 1 next year.</p>.<p>"The trade and the public should arrange early disposal of any CBD products in their possession to avoid contravention of the law," a government spokesperson said.</p>.<p>After the deadline, anyone who possesses or consumes CBD faces up to seven years in jail and fines of up to HK$1 million (US$127,000).</p>.<p>CBD will be put alongside more than 200 substances classified as "dangerous drugs", which all carry the same strict penalty.</p>.<p>CBD is one of the active ingredients of cannabis but does not have psychoactive properties.</p>.<p>Users have touted its relaxing and pain-relieving properties, though Hong Kong's Security Bureau said such claims "lack authoritative scientific proof".</p>.<p>CBD is legal in the United States and parts of Europe, as well as in some Asian nations such as Japan and Thailand.</p>.<p>John Lee, a former police officer who became Hong Kong's chief executive in July, has taken a hard line on drugs.</p>.<p>"Cannabis is a drug, and the government will categorise CBD as a dangerous drug... to protect the public's health," he said in a speech last month.</p>.<p>China last year banned the use of CBD in cosmetic products.</p>
<p>Hong Kong will outlaw cannabidiol (CBD) by February, the government announced Thursday, placing it in the same category as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine with users facing hefty jail time.</p>.<p>The move is expected to wipe out businesses in the Chinese finance hub that had, until now, been able to sell CBD-infused products such as beers, coffee and health supplements.</p>.<p>The changes to Hong Kong's drug control laws, pending a final round of vetting by the city's rubber-stamp legislature, will take effect from February 1 next year.</p>.<p>"The trade and the public should arrange early disposal of any CBD products in their possession to avoid contravention of the law," a government spokesperson said.</p>.<p>After the deadline, anyone who possesses or consumes CBD faces up to seven years in jail and fines of up to HK$1 million (US$127,000).</p>.<p>CBD will be put alongside more than 200 substances classified as "dangerous drugs", which all carry the same strict penalty.</p>.<p>CBD is one of the active ingredients of cannabis but does not have psychoactive properties.</p>.<p>Users have touted its relaxing and pain-relieving properties, though Hong Kong's Security Bureau said such claims "lack authoritative scientific proof".</p>.<p>CBD is legal in the United States and parts of Europe, as well as in some Asian nations such as Japan and Thailand.</p>.<p>John Lee, a former police officer who became Hong Kong's chief executive in July, has taken a hard line on drugs.</p>.<p>"Cannabis is a drug, and the government will categorise CBD as a dangerous drug... to protect the public's health," he said in a speech last month.</p>.<p>China last year banned the use of CBD in cosmetic products.</p>