Thai people are allowed to grow cannabis for medical and industrial purposes from Thursday (9/6/2022). Thailand has removed cannabis from the list of category 5 narcotics.
Cannabis Rules at home: Thailand will be the first Asian country to pass regulations on cannabis cultivation at home. Thailand has at least 10 species of local cannabis plants. Thailand has also distributed 1 million cannabis seeds to its citizens.
Reporting from The Bangkok Post, cannabis with low THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) or at least 0.2% is considered legal from Thursday (9/6/2022). THC is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, which makes people feel high.
Cannabis use offenses: Permanent Secretary for Public Health, Kiattisak Wongrajit said, when cannabis was removed from the country’s narcotics list.
The 2017 Tobacco Control Act will be used to ensure cannabis is used by households for health and medical reasons, not recreational purposes. A new bill on cannabis control is being discussed in parliament.
Application of the rule: One cannot legally ‘get high’ in public places, such as roaming the streets of Bangkok. There are legal ramifications for doing so, including that the smoke from smoking marijuana is considered a nuisance. The fine for such offenses is a maximum of 25,000 baht and/or three months imprisonment.
How to grow cannabis: Anyone wishing to grow cannabis at home for health purposes can do so by registering at plookanja. FDA.moph.go.th or the FDA mobile app called Plookganja. Residents can grow as many crops as they want.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has long pushed for the decriminalization of cannabis in Thailand. He emphasized several times that the current relaxation of cannabis restrictions aims to promote three areas.
Purpose: Namely, to highlight medical benefits, serve as an alternative treatment for patients, and support a green economy by pushing cannabis and hemp into commercial crops.
Images of California style dispensaries or people turning on lights on the beach are not what the Thai government had in mind. However, laws regarding cannabis may change to promote recreational use in the future.
