Citizens of Thailand are certainly highly excited about next month as the government will be giving away one million cannabis plants for in-house cultivation, totally free of charge.
Anutin Charnvirakul, the Public Health Minister of Thailand, who has been at the forefront of the drive to decriminalize cannabis in the country, is planning to give away as many as one million marijuana plants for free as soon as the use and personal cultivation of the plant are made legal in June, according to reports from Nation Thailand. Speaking to Nation Thailand, Anutin states that it will empower the government and the citizens to generate over ten billion baht per year in revenue from hemp and cannabis.
Additionally, people can showcase their marijuana and hemp-related knowledge and sell their products across the country.
Public Health Minister Anutin's Enthusiastic Support
Anutin signed a bill in February, officially dropping marijuana, most commonly known as weed, from a list of controlled substances.
Closely regulated marijuana use was decriminalized in 2018, and various prohibitions have subsequently been eased.
Thailand's officials desire that a new marijuana industry will come forth and not only generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue per year but also attract touring foreigners, who have just recently started coming back in great numbers after being hugely absent during the CoronaVirus pandemic.
As soon as the bill comes into effect on June 9, owning and making use of all parts of cannabis plants, as well as seeds and flowers, will be permitted. Nevertheless, content extracted from the plant will remain illegal if it exceeds 0.2% THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the psychoactive ingredient that makes one feel high.
The bill signed by Anutin in February, taking marijuana off the nation's narcotics list after medical cannabis use had been legalized in 2020, makes Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to execute the reforms. At the signing ceremony, Anutin stated that marijuana has a lot of medical advantages similar to other herbs, and also that officials are working very hard to make sure that it would benefit people of Thailand both medically and economically.
In a post on Facebook, Anutin stated that Thai people will be permitted to grow as many marijuana plants as they want in their homes as soon as the reforms come into effect. The marijuana grown must be medical grade and strictly for medicinal purposes, but there is no need for registration. It is currently legal for companies that have been registered to sell marijuana products with less than 0.2% THC content.
Keep It Within The Law.
Anutin made a declaration that people will no longer need to get a permit or license to grow marijuana in their homes, as long as it is declared that it is for medical purposes and does not possess THC content higher than the legal maximum. Under the regulations set for the nation, small-scale sellers of cannabis-related products do not have to register with the Food and Drug Administration. However, large-scale businesses must seek government approval.
Anutin declared that there will no longer be a need to obtain a permit for people to grow cannabis at home, as long as it is declared to be for medical use and the THC content does not exceed the legal maximum. Under Thailand's law, small-scale traders of cannabis-related products do not need to register with the Food and Drug Administration.
However, large-scale businesses are still required to seek permission and get a license from the nation's Food and Drug Administration to produce marijuana-related products, which are viewed as being used primarily for food additives and medicines.
Peripherals of the New Law
The Food and Drug Administration of the nation had gotten around 4,700 applications by the end of last month for licenses to grow, possess, produce, and import hemp and cannabis, according to reports from the Bangkok Post newspaper.
Large-scale businesses will still have to get authorization from the country’s Food and Drug Administration to make cannabis products, which are viewed as being used mainly for medicines and food additives. Hemp seed oil, dietary supplements, beverages, flavoring sauces, jelly sweets, and instant food are among the products slated for manufacture, according to a Food and Drug Association official.
Anutin's Bhumjai Thai Party, a major coalition government partner, pushed for cannabis legalization in the 2019 general election, claiming that it would help the farmers in the country. The Minister of Health, Anutin Charnvirakul, in a Facebook post on the 8th of May, made it known that his objective is to make marijuana plants be cultivated like normal household crops.
The updated law, which is to come into effect on the 9th of June, as earlier stated, will permit individuals to cultivate their marijuana plants in the comfort of their homes but only after informing their local government. Under the law, the plants have to be used only for medical reasons and be of medical grade. In addition to that, the marijuana plant cannot be used commercially without receiving the appropriate license.
Thailand's strategy to market cannabis as a commercial crop has taken another step forward. According to the World Bank, agriculture employs around a third of the country's workforce. In 2018, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize cannabis for medicinal research and consumption, in a region known for harsh penalties for illegal drugs.
Local marijuana regulations have also been relaxed across the nation. After their use in consumer goods was permitted last year, Thai beverage and cosmetics companies rushed to produce products containing hemp and CBD, a chemical compound that does not have an intoxicating effect on consumers.
Bottom Line
The bill is intended to smooth the path for individuals to utilize the plant in medicinal soups or teas. The use of cannabis without a legal prescription or being a patient of some type of illness will still be considered a crime. You are only entitled to grow cannabis and use it any way you like if you have a prescription.
Although recreational usage of the plant is still illegal, marijuana smoking will still happen, and the government can't do anything to stop it.
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