A move years in the making and a rarity in a region where marijuana possession, consumption, and trafficking are punishable by long jail terms and even death sentences, Thailand became the first Asian country to decriminalize cannabis in June 2022.
Despite
Thailand has seen the opening of thousands of cannabis dispensaries since
However, Anutin Charnvirakul, former Thai health minister and strong advocate of cannabis legalization, has said that Thais and tourists would never be able to smoke marijuana recreationally. The
Using cannabis raw materials and extractions for medical purposes and for health has always been the priority.
Asia typically is a place that sees extreme punishments handed out to those engaged in drug related crimes. In neighbouring countries even CBD is illegal and drug trafficking remains punishable by the death sentence. Surely there should be a little more consensus that marijuana should not be in the same drug classes and treated independently by now. I think this was the hope people in Thailand thought the government was finally seeing. This type of lead on drug laws is far forward thinking and a positive more in many opinions of the people.
Across Thailand it is very clear that the marijuana boom has helped many Thais, including farmers, small business owners, and counter workers. Is it a coincidence that just before the boom
Personal belief
Former cannabis entrepreneurs say they were strongly against legalizing a business that
It is too late for cannabis to be reclassified as a narcotic, no matter what happens with the upcoming cannabis regulations." A common quote that 'the cat is out of the bag' seems to keep
After decriminalizing marijuana nearly 2 years ago, Thailand's
It is believed by many in the cannabis industry that even a new bill of law will not lead to major changes. There is a certain amount of flexibility of the law in different regions which is allowing many in the industry to do what they like.
Thai's health ministry has released a draft bill outlining hefty fines or prison sentences for offenders, or even both. How this law will be received and if they manage to pass it through parliament with approval is a big question.
A draft bill that had been submitted to parliament in November failed to be approved and many feel that this new draft will meet with the same level of dissatisfaction.
Cholnan Srikaew, the health minister, drafted the law to prevent the misuse of cannabis, but in the real world actually it seems the intent will lead to worser problems. Surely in a legal, but controlled environment there will be less misuse. Money saved from policing if better used can help to provide care for those that could be in a position of harm or misuse. The damage caused in illegal cases are much worse as this leads to prison sentences, illegal drug trade and unregulated potentially more dangerous usage.
The new proposal has been referred to Thailand's Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew for further comment. The department of traditional and alternative medicine has
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