Is Cannabis / THC legal in Hong Kong?
- Legal status
- Cannabis is a dangerous drug (First Schedule) under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134) — possession up to 7 years + HK$1m; trafficking up to life + HK$5m; cultivation an offence; CBD also a dangerous drug since 1 Feb 2023; NO medical program; NO death penalty
- Consequences if caught
- Cannabis is a dangerous drug in the single First Schedule of Hong Kong's Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134), with no soft/hard penalty tiering. Possession (Sec 8) carries up to 7 years plus a HK$1 million fine; trafficking (Sec 4) up to life plus a HK$5 million fine; cultivation of cannabis (or opium poppy) is an offence; importing or exporting even for personal use counts as trafficking. CBD was reclassified as a dangerous drug from 1 February 2023 (trafficking CBD = life plus HK$5 million; possession = 7 years plus HK$1 million). Hong Kong has NO death penalty (abolished) — the maximum is life. Sentencing is quantity-band-driven through case law, not fixed statutory gram thresholds.
- If prescribed or medical
- There is NO medical-cannabis program; CBD itself has been a dangerous drug since 1 February 2023.
- Documentation
- All controlled drugs sit in a single First Schedule under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134) with no soft/hard penalty tiering — cannabis, heroin, cocaine, ice (methamphetamine), ecstasy (MDMA), ketamine and CBD are all 'dangerous drugs.' Trafficking (Sec 4) carries a maximum of life imprisonment plus a HK$5 million fine on indictment (3 years plus HK$500,000 summary); possession (Sec 8) carries a maximum of 7 years plus a HK$1 million fine; possession of a pipe or equipment carries HK$10,000 and 3 years. Cultivation of cannabis or opium poppy is an offence, and importing or exporting (even for personal use) counts as trafficking. CBD was reclassified as a dangerous drug from 1 February 2023 (trafficking CBD = life plus HK$5 million; possession = 7 years plus HK$1 million), and 'space oil' (etomidate) was scheduled in February 2025. There is NO medical-cannabis program. Hong Kong has NO death penalty (abolished) — the maximum is life imprisonment. Sentencing within these maxima is quantity-band-driven through case law rather than fixed statutory gram thresholds. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
- Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134, in force 1969), Secs 4/8
- elegislation.gov.hk
- police.gov.hk
- nd.gov.hk
What sentences have courts imposed for Cannabis / THC in Hong Kong?
One prosecution recorded in Hong Kong, checked against the official document cited below it. Individuals are never named, and these are examples of what has happened, not a prediction of what will. How we verify a court case.
Across 1 verified case, one sentence of 50 months is recorded.
In March 2017 customs officers stopped a 49-year-old man in a Hong Kong district and found about four kilograms of cannabis, some in a plastic bag he was carrying and the rest at his home. He was convicted of drug trafficking and of dealing with property he knew or believed to be the proceeds of crime. He was sentenced to 50 months' imprisonment.
2017a man, 49convicted of drug trafficking and money laundering, 50 months' imprisonment
Substances recorded cannabis
Other substances confirmed in Hong Kong
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Hong Kong’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →