The declared intention of the country’s Minister of Public Health to distribute 1 million marijuana saplings, from Friday, has added the impression that Thailand is becoming a country of miracles of weeds. Some Thai supporters celebrated Thursday morning by buying marijuana at a café previously restricted to selling products made from plant parts that do not excite people. The dozens of people found at Highland Cafe could choose from a variety of buds with names like Sugarcane, Bubblegum, Purple Afghani and UFO. “I can say out loud that I am a cannabis smoker. “I do not need to hide as before when it was labeled as an illegal drug,” said Rittipong Bachkul, 24, the day’s first customer. So far no one was able to send in the perfect solution, which is not strange. “As far as the government is concerned, it is its job to promote only medical use. But it is quite clear that we have come a long way and we are finally legitimizing its use. “The government understands that there are more pros and cons,” Rattapon Sanrak, co-owner of the cafe and a longtime legalization activist, told the Associated Press. For now, however, would-be marijuana tourists may want to proceed with caution. The Thai government has said it is promoting cannabis for medical use only, warning those who want to light up for fun that smoking in public could be considered a nuisance, with a potential 3-month fine and a fine of 25,000 Thai baht ($ 780). And extracted content, such as oil, remains illegal if it contains more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the chemical that makes people grow. The marijuana regime is still in a significant legal vacuum, because while it is no longer treated as a dangerous drug, Thai lawmakers have not yet passed legislation to regulate its trade. Thailand became the first nation in Asia to decriminalize marijuana – also known as cannabis or ganja in the local language – but does not follow the example of Uruguay and Canada, the only two countries to have legalized marijuana for recreational use. base. Thailand mainly wants to break into the medical marijuana market. It already has a well-developed medical tourism industry and its tropical climate is ideal for cannabis cultivation. “We need to know how to use cannabis,” said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, the country’s largest marijuana booster. “If we have the right awareness, cannabis is like gold, something valuable and must be promoted.” But he added, “We will have additional notifications from the Ministry of Health, from the Ministry of Health. If it causes inconvenience, we can use this law (to quit smoking). “ He said the government prefers to “build awareness” that would be better than patrolling to control people and use the law to punish them. Some of the immediate beneficiaries of the change are people who have been locked up in violation of the old law. “In our view, a significant positive effect of the legal changes is that at least 4,000 people imprisoned for cannabis-related offenses will be released,” an email interview. “People facing cannabis-related charges will see their money thrown away and cannabis seized from people accused of cannabis-related offenses will be returned to their owners.” It is organized by a network of civil society organizations worldwide that advocate for drug policies “based on the principles of human rights, health and development”. However, economic benefits are at the heart of marijuana reforms, which are expected to boost everything from national income to the livelihoods of small farmers. There is concern about whether the benefits will be distributed fairly. One fear is that the giant companies could be unfairly served by proposed regulations that involve complicated licensing procedures and expensive commercial use fees that would disadvantage small producers. “We saw what happened to the alcohol business in Thailand. “Only large-scale producers are allowed to monopolize the market,” said Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, an MP from the opposition Move Forward party. “We are worried that something similar will happen in the cannabis industry if the rules are in favor of big business,” his party said in a statement. Small operators want to move in the marijuana sector anyway. On a hot Sunday afternoon in the Sri Racha region of eastern Thailand, Ittisug Hanjichan, owner of Goldenleaf Hemp, a cannabis farm, led his fifth training for 40 businessmen, farmers and retirees. They each paid about $ 150 to learn tips for seed pruning and plant care to get quality yields. One in attendance was 18-year-old Chanadech Sonboon, who said his parents had argued with him over trying to grow secret marijuana plants. He said his father changed his mind and now sees marijuana as a medicine and not something to be abused. The family has a small family home and a café and hopes to one day offer cannabis to its guests.
title: “Thailand Makes Marijuana Legal But Smoking Is Discouraged " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-20” author: “Teri Souza”
The public health minister’s plan to distribute 1 million marijuana seedlings from Friday has added to the impression that Thailand is becoming a wonderland of weeds. The decision of the Food and Drug Administration to remove the whole plant from the category of drugs makes Thailand the first country in Asia to decriminalize marijuana for medical and industrial use. But it does not follow the example of Uruguay and Canada, the only two countries so far that have legalized recreational marijuana on a national basis. So far no one was able to send in the perfect solution, which is not strange. Some Thai supporters celebrated Thursday by buying marijuana at a cafe previously restricted to selling products made from plant parts that do not excite people. The dozens of people who showed up early at Highland Café were able to choose from a variety of buds with names like Sugarcane, Bubblegum, Purple Afghani and UFO. “I can say out loud that I am a cannabis smoker. “I do not need to hide as before when it was labeled as an illegal drug,” said Rittipong Bachkul, 24, the day’s first customer. Marijuana is also known as cannabis or ganja in Thailand. “As far as the government is concerned, it is its job to promote only medical use. But it is quite clear that we have come a long way and we are finally legitimizing its use. “The government understands that there are more pros than cons,” said Rattapon Sanrak, a coffee co-owner and longtime legalization activist. The country is known for the Thai Stick variety, which got its name from the way its strong flowers are dried and tied to sticks and is the origin of many stems now grown abroad. The Thai government has warned that those who want to have fun smoking in public could be considered a nuisance, with a possible 3-month prison sentence and a fine of 25,000 baht ($ 780). And marijuana extracts, such as oil, remain illegal if they contain more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the chemical that makes people grow. Tourists should proceed cautiously until the rules become clearer after a new cannabis law is passed, said Sarana Sommano, a professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at Chiang Mai University. “There are still dangers. “The problem is that cannabis is no longer considered a drug, but there are no ministry regulations and rules governing its use,” he said. “There is no reference to restrictions on use, to the laws on driving with problems on drugs. “This may be the fault of the government, which is trying to speed up its policy to please the voters without really planning the details and explaining to the public what is happening.” Thailand mainly wants to break into the medical marijuana market. It already has a well-developed medical tourism industry and its tropical climate is ideal for cannabis cultivation. “We need to know how to use cannabis,” said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, a marijuana booster. “If we have the right awareness, cannabis is like gold, something valuable and must be promoted.” Some of the immediate beneficiaries of the change are people who have been locked up in violation of the old law. “In our view, a significant positive effect of the legal changes is that at least 4,000 people imprisoned for cannabis-related offenses will be released,” an email interview. “People facing cannabis-related charges will see their money thrown away and cannabis seized from people accused of cannabis-related offenses will be returned to their owners,” he said. It is a network of civic groups around the world advocating for drug policies that integrate human rights, health and development. The projected economic benefits are at the heart of Thailand’s marijuana reforms, which are expected to boost everything from national income to the livelihoods of small farmers. However, there is concern that the benefits will be distributed fairly. One fear is that large companies could unfairly benefit from the proposed regulations which involve complicated licensing procedures and expensive commercial use fees that would disadvantage small producers. Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, a lawmaker in the opposition Move Forward party, said that under certain proposed regulations, the cannabis industry could end up being controlled by some large companies, as is the case with alcohol. His party wants the laws that are being drafted now to address the problem. Small operators are willing to go into the marijuana business. On a recent hot Sunday afternoon in Sri Racha, eastern Thailand, Ittisug Hanjichan, owner of the Goldenleaf Hemp cannabis farm, led his fifth training for 40 businessmen, farmers and retirees. They paid about $ 150 each to learn tips for seed pruning and plant care to get quality yields. One in attendance was 18-year-old Chanadech Sonboon, who said his parents had argued with him over trying to grow secret marijuana plants. He said his father changed his mind and now sees marijuana as a medicine and not something to be abused. The family has a small family home and a café and hopes to one day offer cannabis to its guests.
