Japanese health officials have banned the cannabinoid cannabinol, or CBN, following reports of illnesses and hazardous behavior associated with the substance, the Japan Times reports.
Cannabis and THC, the cannabinoid most commonly associated with being high, are strictly prohibited in Japan, but there is a market for hemp-derived cannabinoids, including CBD and CBG.
An expert panel with the Ministry of Health & Welfare last year decided to regulate CBN after animal experiments suggested there was a high risk of hallucinations. The crackdown also follows at least four reported hospitalizations, and one instance of a university student jumping from their dormitory’s second floor after eating CBN-infused cookies last year.
The rules will ban the production, sale, possession, and use of CBN, with violators facing imprisonment of up to five years.
Previously, CBN products were marketed primarily in Japan as a sleep aid.
Under the new rules, CBN is only allowed as a treatment for intractable epilepsy, and only where no alternatives are available (and the health ministry must be informed), the report said.
