Hemp in China
China’s current ruling regime is not known for its liberal drug policy in the West, nor should it be. Xi’s current draconian treatment of drug offenders can be explained by the imposition of an open Opium market by the British Empire within the bounds of the Ming Empire over 100 years ago. The foisting of overwhelmingly deleterious goods by the British onto Chinese shores rightfully created disillusionment surrounding both the West and mind-altering substances in the hearts of Chinese citizens. However, the West is mistaken when they lump all substances which the West has decried as drugs together. This is because while many drugs in China are subject to similar restrictions as the drugs under the European and American systems, Hemp has long been excluded on the Chinese schedule lists.
Long before a divided Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill and effectively legalized Hemp under the US Federal legal regime, Chinese people, from plebeians to plutocrats, were utilizing the Hemp plant as both an ingredient in traditional medicine and as a fiber to weave any number of ultra-resilient products. In fact, modern science even recognizes a particular strain of the Hemp plant which was created in China through selective breeding over hundreds if not thousands of years and has been optimized to be more fiber-rich than garden variety Hemp[1].
Furthermore, many Chinese bencao (traditional Chinese texts on medicine) evidence the use of Hemp seeds and other components of the Hemp plant as a moistening laxative. These historical references to the medicinal properties of the Hemp plant date back to an astonishing 1,800 years.[2]
This historical use of hemp has endured throughout millennia until the present. The donning of hemp-based garb has seeped into the historical consciousness of the Chinese people. To that effect, it is still traditional to wear hemp clothes on the day of an ancestor’s death[3]. Moreover, the Chinese government shows their acknowledgement of the beneficial uses of the Hemp plant by continuing to maintain its entry in the Chinese Pharmacopeia[4].
This sustained culture of use and acceptance has yet to be recognized by the majority of the population in the West. Outside of a few niche operators, both US and Canadian cannabis companies have all but dismissed China as a potential market. This move represents an extreme deviation from common protocol, as Western companies have been availing themselves to a massive and wealthy domestic Chinese market for a generation.
Through a mix of naivety, fear and lack of resources, Western Hemp cultivators and processors have forgone a massive market opportunity in the East. However, as the glaring issues in the Western hemp market continue to come to light it is easy to anticipate a major push into China. While the regulations and culture will undoubtably be difficult for most Western Hemp companies to navigate, the experts at KLV Consultancy have experience in China and can aid in navigating that market and other desirable foreign markets.
[1] Cannabis in Chinese Medicine: Are Some Traditional Indications Referenced in Ancient Literature Related to Cannabinoids? E. Joseph Brand and Zhongzhen Zhao. 03-10-17. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5345167/.
[2] Cannabis in Chinese Medicine: Are Some Traditional Indications Referenced in Ancient Literature Related to Cannabinoids? E. Joseph Brand and Zhongzhen Zhao. 03-10-17. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5345167/.
[3] Ancient Uses of Hemp. 5-3-2019. https://purekana.com/blogs/news/5-ancient-uses-of-hemp/
[4] Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission (CP) (2015). Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, 2015 Edn. Beijing: China Medical Science Press.
