A Taiwanese national who consumed cannabis gummies in Thailand has been permanently barred from donating blood in Taiwan, as cannabis remains a Category 2 narcotic in the country, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The person, whose gender was not revealed, recently shared their experience on the social media platform Threads, saying that they tried cannabis gummies out of curiosity while visiting Thailand last year and did not expect it would result in a permanent blood donation ban, the Chinese-language media outlet CTWANT said on Monday.
Photo: CNA
Asked how the blood donation center found out about the cannabis use, the person, expressing regret over their consumption of cannabis, said that donors are asked about their medical history and any past narcotic use before giving blood, to which they "answered honestly," the report said.
"I thought using cannabis would only bar me from donating blood for a year or two ... but since cannabis is illegal in Taiwan, the law assumes there is a risk of addiction or repeat use, so I was marked as permanently ineligible for blood donation," the report said.
In response to public discussion sparked by the Threads post regarding Taiwan's blood donation criteria, FDA Deputy Director-General Wang Der-yuan (王德原) yesterday said that the decision was based on the nation's blood donor health regulations.
Under Article 5, Paragraph 3 of the regulations, people with a history of narcotic use are permanently barred from donating blood.
The Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) stipulates that narcotics can be divided into four categories based on "their extent of causing habitual usage, abusive usage and danger to society."
Cannabis, along with substances such as opium poppy and amphetamines, is classified as a Category 2 narcotic under the act.
It contains more than 65 unique alkaloid compounds, with the two primary ones being tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau said in a news release last year.
"THC affects the human central nervous system and may lead to physical dependence and related psychiatric disorders. As a result, both cannabis and THC are classified as Category 2 narcotics under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act," the release read.
In Taiwan, any product containing more than 10 parts per million (ppm) of THC is classified as a Category 2 narcotic, Wang said.
In contrast, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board stipulates that THC concentration in edibles is measured in milligrams, with each serving limited to a maximum of 10mg of THC — a typical amount found in legally sold cannabis gummies in the US.
Assuming a cannabis gummy weighs about 5g and contains 5mg of THC, its concentration would then be about 1,000ppm, far exceeding Taiwan's legal threshold of 10ppm.
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