On Thursday, the production of marijuana and the possession of marijuana were made legal again in Thailand. This was a long-awaited victory for an older generation of pot users who fondly remember the powerful high that the famed Thai Stick variety provided.
The fact that Thailand’s Minister of Public Health intends to cultivate one million marijuana seedlings and distribute them to growers has contributed to the widespread belief that the nation is rapidly transforming into a paradise for cannabis consumers. But for the time being, would-be visitors interested in marijuana will be left dissatisfied.
Marijuana, also known as cannabis, or ganja in the local lingo, has been decriminalised in Thailand, making it the first nation in Asia to do so. However, Thailand is not following the examples of Uruguay and Canada, which are the only two countries so far that have legalised recreational marijuana on a national basis. Canada and Uruguay are the only two nations that have done so.
The government has stated that it is only promoting cannabis for medical use, and it has issued a warning to those who are eager to light up for recreational purposes that smoking cannabis in public may still be considered a nuisance, which could result in a potential sentence of three months in prison and a fine of 25,000 Thai baht ($780). And the material that has been extracted continues to be unlawful if it contains more than 0.2% of tetrahydrocannabinol, sometimes known as THC, which is the chemical that causes people to feel high.
That is about the same percentage that may be found in hemp, which is a form of cannabis that is primarily cultivated for the production of fibres that are utilised for industrial reasons. To build a name for itself in the medical marijuana industry, the advantages of which are often derived from additional cannabinol compounds that the plant has, Thailand’s goal is to make a splash in the market. The medical tourism business in Thailand is already rather well established, and the country’s environment is just right for the cultivation of cannabis.
A recent statement made by Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, the nation’s leading advocate for the legalisation of marijuana, said that “we should know how to utilise cannabis.” “Cannabis is comparable to gold in that it is something precious that ought to be promoted if we have the appropriate awareness.” However, he said, “Additional Notifications from the Ministry of Health will be sent to us by the Department of Health. We have the ability to apply that legislation to prohibit individuals from smoking if it creates any kind of disturbances.”
He said that the government’s preference is to “create a consciousness,” as they believe this would be more effective than monitoring the area to check on individuals and using the law to penalise them.
At a press conference held the day before the decriminalisation was to take place on Thursday, Anutin said that “everything should be on the middle road.”
