Written answers

Wednesday, 8 May 2019

Department of Finance

Customs and Excise Controls

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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107. To ask the Minister for Finance if CBD with THC levels lower than 0.2%, the European legal limit, is being stopped at the customs border from Europe. [19634/19]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by Revenue that Tetrahydrocannabinol (which is commonly referred to as THC) is a derivative of Cannabinol, which is a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and the regulations and orders made thereunder.

Cannabidiol (which is commonly referred to as CBD) is not a controlled drug unless it contains trace elements of THC. The legislation does not provide for any allowable trace element of THC and therefore any trace of THC in a CBD product makes it a controlled drug under the legislation.

Accordingly, it is Revenue policy to treat CBD products that contain any trace elements of THC as controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 and thus liable to detention upon their importation, and ultimately seizure, pursuant to sections 33 and 34 respectively of the Customs Act 2015.

Comments

jim weathers
Posted on 15 May 2019 5:32 pm (Report this comment)

How can you say that trace amounts of THC is illegal but yet HRPA and the Minster of Health can issue a licence to grow hemp (cannabis) as long as it has less than 0.20%? This product can be used for three reason; industral, feed or food. This is absolutely ridiculous, one one hand says yes and the other says no. This is all done to make it very confusing and no one can be held accountable....

jim weathers
Posted on 15 May 2019 5:58 pm (Report this comment)

How can HRPA and the Minster for Health issue a license to grow cannabis sativa if it is indeed illegal?
And the FSAI state "certain varieties of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) are legally grown for a range of uses including for food and feed" and "for which the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content does not exceed 0.2% (Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013)."
Yet the Drugs Act state that any THC is illegal.
If all of this isn't the definition of grey area, I don't know what is.

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