Thailand is The 1st Asian Country To Legalise Marijuana For Medical & Limited Recreational Use

This is such a monumental move!

On 25 January, ABC News reported that Thailand is the 1st country in Asia to decriminalise marijuana. However, rules on recreational use still remain in the grey area.

Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that the Narcotics Control Board had given their approval to drop cannabis buds and seeds from the ministry’s list of controlled drugs. The rest of the plant was dropped from the list in 2020.

The delisting of the plant will need to be formally signed by the health minister before the rule can take effect 120 days later after its publication in the government gazette.

Although the rules are still in the drafting process, it seems that they will allow for the citizens to grow cannabis for their own consumption (for medical use) but they will have to report it to their respective provincial administrative organisations 1st.

It is said that the plants that they grow for home consumption cannot exceed the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content of  0.2%. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis that makes one high.

Speaking on recreational use, FDA secretary-general Dr Paisarn Dunkum has said that it could be done in some locations that will be specified later on, reported The Bangkok Post.

“Of course, we won’t go to the stage of cannabis cafés, but there are different models for its recreational use in other countries. We’ll select the best one that suits our social context.”

Those that do not abide by the rules will face a jail term of up to 3 years or will need to pay a fine of 30,000 baht (RM3,816).

This is certainly a great move as researchers do not need to undergo a stringent process to conduct experiments on cannabis.

This will make it easier to develop the healthcare and medical sectors along with the technology sector. It will also create more jobs for the people and farmers will be able to have more crops to plant.

Also read: Researchers Have Discovered Compounds in Cannabis That Can Actually Fight Off Covid-19!