WASHINGTON: The Customs Department said there has been no change in policy regarding the import prohibition on cannabis, cannabis resin or cannabinoids, and confirmed they sent a letter to traders earlier this month that “simply restates the effect of the relevant legal provisions.” This follows after discussion in which one store was said to be throwing away food and other items containing hemp. The letter sent to traders, dated August 2nd 2017, said, “It has come to the attention of the Collector of Customs that a variety of food and beverage preparations and beauty and skin care products purporting to contain hemp protein, hemp seed or hemp oil are on offer for sale in certain local retail shops.
“The presence of these products on shop shelves notwithstanding, we would remind all customs traders that the importation of A] any part of the cannabis plant [except fibre produced from the stalk of the plant], B] cannabis resin; or C] natural or synthetic cannabinoids [such as Cannabidiol CBD] is prohibited by law. “lmportations of goods or products containing these substances are subject to forfeiture and those responsible for the importation may be liable to penalties or imprisonment. For the avoidance of doubt ‘cannabis plant’ includes the hemp plant or industrial hemp plant. “Should any customs officer have reasonable grounds to suspect that any imported goods contain any of the substances listed above, those goods will be detained and forwarded to the Bermuda Police Service for investigation.”
