Taiwanese barred from donating blood after using cannabis gummies in Thailand

Taipei, May 27 (CNA) A Taiwanese national who consumed cannabis gummies in Thailand has been permanently barred from donating blood in Taiwan, as cannabis remains a category two narcotic in the country, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said on Tuesday.

The individual, whose gender was not revealed, recently shared his/her experience on the social media platform Threads, and said he/she tried cannabis gummies out of curiosity while visiting Thailand last year and did not expect it would result in a permanent blood donation ban, according to a report by local Chinese-language media outlet CTWANT on Monday.

Asked how the blood donation center found out about the cannabis use, the individual, expressing regret over his/her consumption of cannabis, told netizens that donors are asked about their medical history and any past narcotic use before giving blood, to which he/she "answered honestly," the report read.

"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's a risk of addiction or repeat use, so I was marked as permanently ineligible for blood donation," the report cited.

In response to public discussion sparked by the Threads post regarding Taiwan's blood donation criteria, TFDA Deputy Director-General Wang Der-yuan (王德原) told CNA on Tuesday that the decision was based on the country's blood donor health regulations.

Under Article 5, Paragraph 3 of the regulations, individuals with a history of narcotic use are permanently barred from donating blood.

In terms of the definition of a narcotic, the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act 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 two" narcotic under the act.

It contains more than 65 unique alkaloid compounds, with the two primary ones being tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), according to a news release issued by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau 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 two 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 two narcotic under the act, according to Wang.

To illustrate how low Taiwan's threshold is, the standards set by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board can serve as a reference.

The board stipulates that THC concentration in edibles is measured in milligrams (mg), with each serving limited to a maximum of 10 mg of THC -- a typical amount found in legally sold cannabis gummies in the United States.

Assuming a cannabis gummy weighs approximately 5 grams and contains 5 mg of THC, its concentration would then be around 1,000 ppm -- far exceeding Taiwan's legal threshold of 10 ppm, and thus violating the act.