Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said cannabis should be used to promote health. More than 300,000 households have already registered as cannabis growers.
On Thursday, Thailand removed cannabis from the country’s drug list and at the same time legalized the cultivation and possession of cannabis.
In the past, Thailand handed down harsh convictions for cannabis-related crimes, making it a major turning point in the country’s drug policy.
So far, it is unclear exactly what is allowed and what is forbidden for cannabis. For example, Thai lawmakers have not yet passed a law regulating the sale of cannabis.
Nevertheless, in the capital, Bangkok, for example, the first companies have already started selling cannabis blooms. In addition, foods containing various cannabis extracts are sold in restaurants and shops.
Public cloud burning is still prohibited and can result in large fines or a short prison sentence. Apparently, use in your own home is allowed.
News agency AP urges potential cloud tourists to be cautious about the situation. For example, there is no information in the media about whether the Hotel Room is considered a home where cannabis use is not addressed.
Prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday, according to news agency Reuters, people can use cannabis by smoking and in other ways, but certain types of use need to be controlled.
He added that burning and driving while intoxicated, which disturbs others, is prohibited. Authorities are expected to set an age limit for cannabis.
Chairman of the Association Somsak Lolekha said those under the age of 20 should not use cannabis because their brains are not fully developed and the intoxicating compound THC of cannabis can have long-term effects on their brains.
Aiming for a valuable business
In Thailand, cannabis has traditionally been used as a medicine for pain relief, for example. The country officially legalized cannabis drug use in 2018.
Now Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia to repeal the cannabis ban and wants to make it a lucrative business.
The Ministry of Health has already approved just under 1,200 different products containing cannabis extracts. These include cosmetics and food such as candies and a variety of drinks. In addition, restaurants can add cannabis extracts to servings and pastries.
Cannabis extracts such as oils contain mainly cannabidiol, or CBD, from the hemp plant. It is not intoxicating, but it has relaxing and medicinal properties.
The extracts must not contain more than 0.2% of intoxicating THC. In practice, the THC content of the extracts is so low that these products are not intoxicated. Thailand has not limited the THC content of cannabis flowers, at least so far.
The Ministry of Health expects the value of the Thai cannabis industry to rise to 15 billion baht, or about 410 million euros, by 2026.
The Minister of Health distributed the seedlings
The Thai authorities have launched a campaign to distribute a total of one million cannabis plants to people over the next six months. The aim is to promote cannabis cultivation.
Minister of Health who was the engine of the legalization project Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday handed out a hundred cannabis plants in person at a fair in Buriram province in the northeast of the country.
Anutin said in a speech at the fair that cannabis should be used to promote health. He advised people not to abuse cannabis.
– Don’t just use it to sit at home smiling. Then you can’t get the job done. That’s not our policy, Anutin told Reuters.
In practice, the health minister’s comments meant that entertainment use is not considered good.
Those wishing to grow cannabis must register through a special mobile app. According to the Bhumjai Thai party represented by Anutin, more than 350,000 households have already registered as breeders.
According to the Thai Prison Administration, some 3,000 prisoners convicted of cannabis-related crimes have been released from prisons since the law came into force.