It seems an eternity ago that two top High Court judges called for the decriminalisation of cannabis in Hong Kong, arguing that enforcement legislation was outdated and good citizens were finding themselves on the wrong side of the law over its use. “Cannabis use is now so widespread that [keeping it illegal] makes people think the law is an ass,” Justice Kaplan said. That was back in 1994. It’s 2018 now and their words of wisdom have fallen by the wayside. Now, in Hong Kong, the authorities are going medieval on marijuana, regularly seizing it by the sack load and arresting scores of suspects – one in seven aged 20 or below – in one widely publicised crackdown after another.