Thailand Legalise Cannabis! You may have seen the news recently about the radical change in laws surrounding Cannabis in Thailand. Today we look at changes have been made, how it effects Thai citizens & tourists and the new rules that are in place for Cannabis growing and consumption.

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General Info On Thailand Legalising Cannabis

Cannabis has been a heated topic of discussion for the past years in most countries, including Thailand. Recently, Thailand, one of the South East Asia countries with stringent drug laws, came up with laws with exceptions and regulations about cannabis. According to the new law, people can grow cannabis plants in their homes. As well as trade them, but it discourages personal consumption for non-medical reasons.

The Thailand Food and Drug Administration removed cannabis from the narcotic list and made the country the first Asian country to legalize cannabis for industrial and medical use. However, government officials warn people against public smoking. They view public smoking as an irritation, and anyone found doing that risks being arrested and fined.

How Is This Going To Change Things?

The government of Thailand hopes that the local growth and trading of cannabis will enhance the country’s economy, agriculture, and tourism sector. Thai health mister also announced that there would be the distribution of over one million cannabis seedlings to Thai citizens to enhance pick-up. According to the health mister, Anutin Charnvirakul, this will be an excellent opportunity for the country and its citizen to earn revenue from hemp and marijuana. Here’s what the citizens can and can’t do with cannabis.

You Can Use Cannabis for Medical Reasons

Thailand legalised Cannabis for medical purposes in 2018. Becoming the first South East Asia country to do so. The citizen of Thailand and tourists can now get treated with medical cannabis. According to the general director of the Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Department, Marut Jirasrattasiri, Thailand is metering the legalization road map, strategizing and guiding cannabis towards medical and wellness. The new law that legalizes cannabis possession and cultivation is another significant step.

You Can Consume Infused Drinks and Edibles

Thailand restaurants and diners can serve and order cannabis-infused drinks and food, but the products must have a THC content of less than 0.2 percent to be sold legally. Most countries in the United States with laws that legalized cannabis don’t have a potency cap. There are several states with bills proposal to limit potency and its emerging issues.

Different diners in Thailand, including Highland Café based in Bangkok, were restricted to only selling cannabis products that don’t get people “high”. However, with the new regulations and rules, the restaurants started selling different marijuana varieties, including Sugarcane, Purple Afghani, UFO and Bubblegum.

You can Grow and Sell Cannabis Products.

Thai residents are privileged to grow and trade cannabis in their households. The Food and Drug Administration of Thailand launched a website and phone app called PlookGanja that helps individuals register their cannabis plant cultivation. The local residents will also be educated and trained on how to cultivate commercial cannabis and how to make use of other business opportunities. When regulations are fleshed out and Thai residents’ supply chain enhance, the tourism and agriculture sector will also grow immensely.

You Can Not Use Cannabis for Recreational Purpose

If you plan to take advantage of the new law that legalizes cannabis and light up your joint in a park or public place, Thailand is not the right place to do it. Government officials state that anybody found smoking marijuana in public risks a fine of over $700 or a three months jail sentence.

Any organization or individual exploring cannabis business opportunities or the medical benefits of cannabis is welcome to do so. Still, they should be cautious not to use it for recreational purposes and end up in jail. 

The Thai cannabis conditions might be consumed by tourists that want to use it. But when cannabis tourists are looking for the best destination to visit, they should take time to understand the country’s law on cannabis consumption before ending up in trouble because of their actions. According to a cannabis reform expert, Tom Angell, that tracks Thailand’s marijuana legalization moment on a cannabis website, there seems to be confusion in Thailand about what the cannabis’ new law allows and doesn’t allow.

What This Law Means to Tourists and the Locals

Tourists are expected to proceed with caution as the law isn’t yet more precise. Cannabis has its own risk, but the problem is that it is no longer a narcotic plant. As Thailand legalises cannabis, there are rules and regulations governing its growth and use.

The government doesn’t have a drug-impaired driving policy or set any limits on its usage. This can be one of the government’s mistakes while in a hurry to legalize cannabis to please the locals without more details on how to use it.

Thailand wants to explore the medical marijuana market and has already established reliable medical tourism industry. They are also ready to learn how to use it, and with the proper awareness, cannabis can be valuable.

Thailand’s all year tropical climate has a great history with cannabis that Thailand locals have been utilizing as traditional medicines. A significant part of the cannabis draft law is facing trials in Thailand’s parliament. In the coming years, the government will relax the strict laws governing cannabis consumption.

Is Cannabis Legal or Not?

As Thailand’s tourist industry recovers from the coronavirus pandemic’s wrath, many tourists are left wondering whether they can smoke cannabis whenever they want. The answer to that is no. The government of Thailand doesn’t allow public smoking of cannabis. It is also illegal to supply or sell cannabis products with a THC content that exceeds 0.2 percent.

Thailand aims to be on the front line and win the largest share in the lucrative market that focus on health treatments with cannabis products like milder CBD compound. The other aim is to reduce overcrowding in the most overcrowded jails in the world.  This means that with the legalization of cannabis in Thailand, police won’t have the task of arresting those in possession of marijuana.

Multiple Thailand businesses were selling and supplying marijuana products. Like restaurants using cannabis leaves to make Thai curries before the country legalized cannabis. It is impossible to know how the country can control the level of THC content these products have.

Release from Jail Free Card

Some people that will benefit from the legalization of cannabis in Thailand have been jailed for cannabis-related offenses. Their charges will be dropped, and cannabis and money seized from them will be returned.

Monopoly or Weed Windfall?

The growth of Thailand’s economy now relies on cannabis transformation to boost the income and livelihood of low-income farmers. But the main issue is whether profits from cannabis will be shared equally. Large businesses might benefit more from the proposed policies on acquiring licenses to plant and sell cannabis for commercial use. Which would handicap small-scale farmers.

With the proposed law on cannabis in place, the cannabis sector might end up under the control of large companies. However small operators are eager to be part of the cannabis business.

Cannabis grown at home should be for medical purposes and would go through a random inspection. Farmers that will be planting or selling cannabis without the right risk a jail term of three years , a fine of $605.33 or both.

It will be hard to control the level of THC content, other contaminants in the cannabis products, and its quality, which could harm consumers. However, the Thai health ministry has approved over 1181 products. These include food and cosmetics with cannabis extracts, and believes the cannabis industry will earn over $436 million by 2026. This is the latest Thailand step in promoting the commercial growth of cannabis as a significant percentage of Thai citizens are in the agriculture sector.

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