Cannabis plants [NEWS1]

 
Cannabidiol (CBD) remains a controlled narcotic in Korea, even when extracted from parts of the cannabis plant traditionally considered exempt, such as seeds and mature stems, the country’s top health authority reaffirmed Tuesday.
 
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued the warning following a landmark Supreme Court ruling last month that clarified the legal status of CBD. The decision came in response to a case involving a cosmetics importer whose request for a customs clearance report was denied because the product contained CBD derived from mature cannabis stems.
 
 
On May 29, the Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s ruling and returned the case for reconsideration, declaring that cannabinoids — including CBD, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabinol — are narcotics under Korean law, regardless of which part of the plant they come from. The court cited the original intent of Korea’s Narcotics Control Act, emphasizing that the law was designed to limit the use of cannabis-derived substances with psychoactive effects. 
 
The case involved a cosmetics importer, who filed a suit after the head of the Korea Pharmaceutical Traders Association refused to issue a standard customs clearance report for cosmetics containing CBD extracted from the mature stems of the cannabis plant.
  
Cannabinoids are compounds found in cannabis that interact with receptors in nerve and immune cells, triggering various biochemical responses.
  
“The exception clause in Article 2, Item 4 of the Narcotics Control Act, which lists cannabis-exempt parts, was intended to allow limited industrial use — such as for fiber processing, seed harvesting or food ingredients — only when the hallucinogenic components are present at levels low enough to pose minimal risk of abuse,” the ministry said. “This provision was not intended to exclude resins or key components like CBD from being classified as cannabis.
  
“CBD-containing products are considered cannabis under narcotics law, and with limited exceptions, it is generally illegal to possess, consume, import, export, manufacture, sell or broker them. Violations may result in severe penalties, including imprisonment or fines under the Narcotics Control Act.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY RHEE ESTHER [[email protected]]