What is the question of Nia Reid’s case from a drug lawyer? 

Nia Reed, who boarded a plane to Korea with a dream of Poong-woon, bowed her head and boarded a plane to the United States. This is because he had to return to his home country without completing the season due to possession of hemp-related items.

Nia Reid was caught by Incheon Customs on September 27 last year after arriving in Korea with CBD jelly containing hemp. It was a legal product in the United States, but it was a product that was strictly prohibited in Korea as a drug.

After that, on October 17th, the first urine test conducted at the Incheon Immigration Office was negative, and the official investigation by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation was finally notified of negative results, and on January 30th, the prosecution decided not to prosecute the case. down

Upon hearing this result, the Korea Volleyball Federation held a reward and punishment committee for Nia Reed in the federation’s conference room on March 9, and the reward and punishment committee decided that the item was a widely legal item in the player’s home country, and the agent, etc. The fact that the item was brought in due to ignorance without being informed of the information, the player did not take it in Korea, and the urine test was negative, and the prosecution decided not to prosecute for simple possession. The player deeply regrets and reflects. In consideration of the above, it was decided to issue a ‘warning’ to the player in accordance with Article 10, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the Federation’s Reward and Punishment Regulations and Article 11, Paragraph 4 of the Standards for Imposition of Disciplinary and Sanctions (General).

However, on March 6, the Immigration Office issued an entry restriction on the player to leave the country within April 5 and for a year from the date of departure, and Pepper Savings Bank did not allow Nia Reed to play in the remaining games after the disposition. I decided not to, and I plan to leave for the United States soon.

“First of all, I want to take full responsibility for my actions  . I would like to express my sincere apologies to his teammates, the club, the fans and the federation officials  . I deeply regret it and it became a painful  lesson to learn as I moved forward in my life.  We respect Korean laws above all else. Once again, I deeply apologize.” said.

I was able to seek advice from Partner Lawyer Phillip Noh, Ohyeon Law Firm, a drug lawyer specializing in drugs, about what CBD Nia Reid brought, what part was the problem, and whether the administrative disposition was issued only six months after it was discovered.

First, lawyer Noh said, “Hemp can be classified into two major components. There is THC, a hallucinogenic component commonly found in cannabis, and CBD, which is also used as a health food in foreign countries. It is also contained in hemp seed oil sold in Korea. It is said, but it can be seen that it is mainly contained in hemp seeds. It is said that it is CBD jelly, but if it is correct that there are only CBD ingredients, it is true that the ingredients are slightly different from commonly used cannabis.

Wouldn’t it have been possible to avoid violating the Narcotics Control Act if the ingredients were different? However, lawyer Noh said, “CBD is also a hemp-derived ingredient, so it is an ingredient that is strictly managed by related laws such as the Narcotics Control Act. There are hemp seed oils with CBD ingredients among health foods released in Korea, but most of them comply with the content standards. , Oils with high content cannot be imported. What is sold locally under the name of CBD jelly is also mostly classified as a drug by domestic standards. In the United States, CBD jelly can be found in supermarkets, with an age limit of 19 years old. And we manage it thoroughly enough to sell it on an independent shelf.” 

Then, why did the administrative processing of Nia Reed take more than 6 months? Regarding this, Attorney Noh said, “I understand that you entered the country at the end of September. It must have been caught during the entry process, so you must have been booked and investigated first by Incheon Customs, and the National Institute of Scientific Investigation needs to analyze the confiscated items. It usually takes about 3 weeks안전놀이터. After completing these procedures, it would have been sent to the prosecution, and the Incheon District Prosecutor’s Office would have received the case around the middle or end of October.”

“Since Nia Reed’s domestic residence is not Incheon, there may have been a transfer from the jurisdiction, and even if the Incheon District Prosecutor’s Office directly disposed of it, considering the delay in the case due to personnel changes at the beginning of the year, it is normal that the disposition came out this time. “he added.

It is predicted that it would not have been easy for Pepper Savings Bank to easily replace the first foreign player. Regarding this, Attorney Noh said, “Pepper’s side may have been thinking about the possibility that they might not be subject to judicial review or even avoid being forced to leave the country because they are not subject to criminal punishment if there is a suspension of prosecution while aiming for a stay of prosecution.” did.

He continued, “Actually, it is possible to defer prosecution, and this disposition of non-prosecution will be a suspension of prosecution. It is different from no charge. It may have been a strategy to endure until the end of the season as much as possible after receiving advice from a lawyer that it will take about half a year from investigation to disposition. As a foreign player, It’s a possible operation,” he predicted. However, due to an administrative disposition just before the end of the season, Nia Reed was forced to return with four games left in the sixth round. It was a situation that could have been fatal if Pepper Savings Bank was in the middle of a ranking fight.

She also received a rather light punishment of a warning from KOVO, but the Immigration Office ordered Nia Reid to leave the country. Regarding this, Attorney Noh said, “Strictly speaking, bringing in narcotics from abroad is a serious crime that amounts to importing narcotics. If a crime is caught, administrative measures such as deportation will follow, apart from criminal measures, because it is a problem of international distribution of drugs.” .

Lastly, Lawyer Noh pointed out that Nia Reid’s case is a frequent problem for travelers who have traveled abroad.There are quite a few places that sell hemp products when you go to Guam, the United States, or Canada. You should never even pay attention to it. Our Criminal Code is based on personal identity, so it is punishable even if you use drugs abroad. And it’s good to throw away the idea that it won’t take even if you bring one or two. Sometimes, all passengers are inspected, and drug detection dogs and customs machines are very good,