Both recreational and medical use of cannabis is illegal and harshly enforced throughout China.
Current Legislation
The possession, sale, transport and cultivation of cannabis are illegal throughout China. Penalties for cannabis offenses are vague, but considered harsh. In China, marijuana is considered a narcotic. Under Section Seven of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, Article 345, individuals who smuggle, traffic, transport or manufacture narcotic drugs are sentenced to either 15 years of prison, life imprisonment or death, and suffer confiscation of property.
The growing of industrial hemp is legal in China and is used widely throughout the country to produce products like clothes and ropes or to import to other countries.
Medical Marijuana Laws
In China, there is no medical marijuana legislation allowing for medicinal use of cannabis.
References:
Bl, Yingxi. (2012). On the death penalty for drug-related crime in China. Human Rights and Drugs, 2(1), 29-44. Retrieved from http://research.uofk.edu/multisites/UofK_research/images/stories/research/Law/human%20rights.pdf.
Marijuana’s controversy in China. (2014, November 6). Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2014/11/marijuanas-controversy-china/.
