Tag: Thailand

Thailand is a very interesting place when it comes to cannabis public policy. Earlier this year, in June, Thailand made a historic cannabis policy shift and implemented a plan that allows every household in the entire country to sign up to legally cultivate low-THC cannabis plants. Thailand’s policy change marked the first time in the history of the world that such a public policy was implemented at a national level.

Since June, Thailand has seemed to struggle with finding its ‘cannabis policy identity’ and many members of the government have tried hard to push back on public perception that cannabis is legal for recreational use in Thailand. In an attempt to thwart recreational use of cannabis, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has announced new policies. Per Bangkok Post:

Ganja-smoking shops are deemed illegal now that the Ministry of Public Health’s new announcement declaring flowers of marijuana plants to be a herb requiring strict control has taken effect, the ministry warned on Wednesday.

The controlled herb announcement, dated Nov 11, was announced in the Royal Gazette last Wednesday and took effect the following day, said Dr Thongchai Lertwilairatanapong, director-general of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTTAM).

In addition to the prohibition of shops providing smoking spaces, the new changes involve prohibiting cannabis sales to people under 20, to students of any type, and to pregnant or breastfeeding women. Sales are also now prohibited through vending machines and via the internet. The new changes signal a turnabout of sorts for Thailand’s government to some degree.

Thailand’s Public Health Minister previously indicated that there is no plant limit for the government’s cultivation program and Thailand gave away over 1 million cannabis seeds directly to households to help them cultivate cannabis. The government is even giving out low-interest loans to help aspiring cultivators get their operations started.

Thailand previously launched an app to help streamline the process of people signing up their households to cultivate cannabis. An FAQ public service announcement effort was launched to help people understand the law and cultivation program. As we previously reported, a broad spectrum of government agencies in Thailand previously entered into an agreement to do their part to push Thailand’s emerging cannabis industry forward.

With all of that in mind, the scrambling going on right now in Thailand seems a bit bizarre. After all, a country can’t embrace cannabis and also demonize it at the same time. It will be interesting to see if more changes come to Thailand in the coming months.

From a regional standpoint Thailand is leader in many ways when it comes to cannabis policy. Earlier this year Thailand implemented a very progressive change in cannabis policy that made it the most cannabis-friendly country in Southeast Asia.

Cannabis is legal for medical purposes in Thailand, however, it remains illegal for recreational use. All legal cannabis has to be below a .2% THC threshold. That threshold may not sound like much to some people, yet, a growing industry is built around low-THC cannabis varieties in Thailand now.

Leading up to the policy changes back in June, cannabis hardliners inside and outside of Thailand predicted doomsday scenarios for if/when cannabis laws became less harsh. Despite the sky still remaining above Thailand post-reform, opponents have continued to call for reversing course on cannabis policy. Fortunately, they are not getting a sympathetic audience from the nation’s health minster. Per Bangkok Post:

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday dismissed a plan to return marijuana to Type 5 narcotics status, saying that would fall under the remit of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).

According to Mr Anutin, the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes has, after much discussion and debate, already been decided upon.

Despite reassurances from Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, cannabis activists in Thailand are planning a rally this week to put pressure on a meeting of the Narcotics Control Board to help ensure that cannabis is not returned to Type 5 narcotics status.

“The attempt to return cannabis to a narcotic drug will affect millions of people who are planting it. Moreover, the remit would restrict people from accessing cannabis in the long term,” stated Prasitthichai Nunual, a representative of the People’s Network for Cannabis Legislation in Thailand, on Facebook according to The Bangkok Post.

Cannabis policy in Thailand can be confusing, with some people describing it as cannabis being legal in the Southeastern nation for recreational use. There’s quite a bit of confusion inside Thailand as to what is legal and what is not, which makes further reform and regulation necessary.

Earlier this year Thailand implemented a historic law that dramatically changed the nation’s cannabis policies. Low-THC cannabis became legal nationwide, and literally, every household in Thailand became eligible to apply to cultivate cannabis.

It would be a major shift for any country, however, it was particularly impressive for a nation located in a region where people can still receive the death penalty for cannabis-only offenses.

A grim reminder of that fact happened recently when Singapore executed someone who was caught with cannabis. The ultimate penalty came after the person served seven years in prison.

Thailand’s new cannabis law is significant, and will hopefully serve as an example for the rest of the region to follow. Unfortunately, there has been some pushback in Thailand with calls to pull back the new cannabis policy, although it appears that those naysayers do not have a very sympathetic audience with Thailand’s Public Health Minister.

Below is a social media post from Khaosod English:

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnveerakul vowed on Tuesday to not allow anyone to criminalised marijuana again. Speaking at a marjuana, spa and tourism promotion event, Anutin said there will be a chain reaction affecting many businesses if marijuana is criminalised again as many business contracts to produce and market marijuana for medical purposes have been signed.

The minister added that even though the Marijuana Act has yet to be enacted, public health regulations restricted the use of marijuana for recreational purposesabd it must be regulated like tobacco as it causes adverse effects to health. Anutin said officials at the Public Health Ministry listen to those, including medical professionals, who oppose the decriminalization and will use their inputs in revising the draft Marijuana Bill.

Cannabis prohibition does not work. It is an inhumane public policy and a complete waste of limited public safety resources. Law enforcement should be fighting real crime, and the judicial system reserved for prosecuting actual criminals.

Thailand’s new approach to cannabis policy is still very young by public policy standards, and hopefully as more time goes by and the unfounded fear-mongering claims by prohibitionists will prove to be just rhetoric, hopefully then the calls for reinstituting full prohibition will subside.

As I have pointed out in previous coverage, Thailand is currently in a category all of its own when it comes to cannabis policy. Roughly two weeks ago Thailand implemented its new cannabis policy which allows, among other things, every household in the country to sign up to cultivate low-THC cannabis.

At the time I didn’t feel comfortable categorizing Thailand as having ‘legalized cannabis’ being that only low-THC cannabis was involved, however, the level at which cultivation was embraced via the new law is clearly better than the average within the international community.

Since the launch of legalization, Thailand’s government has seemed to struggle a bit to officially categorize its new law. Earlier this week Thailand’s government stated on Facebook (auto-translated to English), “The Ministry of Public Health issued an announcement that the use of cannabis and hemp for recreational purposes is not allowed in Thailand. According to the announcement, smoking cannabis or hemp in public is considered a nuisance, as the smoke or the smell may cause health hazards to other people and lead to the risk of such diseases as lung disease, asthma, and bronchitis. Offenders will face imprisonment of up to three months and/or a fine of up to 25,000 baht.”

Who Smokes Low-THC Cannabis For Recreational Purposes?

It is widely known that the main cannabinoid in the cannabis plant that induces intoxication is THC. It is also widely known that CBD does not induce intoxication and that to a degree CBD counteracts THC from an intoxication standpoint. With that in mind, while I obviously can’t speak for every cannabis consumer in Thailand, smoking low-THC cannabis does not exactly sound like an enticing recreational activity.

I think that it’s a safe assumption that many people in Thailand that are smoking low-THC cannabis flower are doing so for wellness purposes. It’s the cheapest and easiest way to medicate. After all, not everyone in Thailand can afford finished medical cannabis-grade extract products.

What really seems to be at the heart of the issue is the act of smoking in public in general, and I suppose that is probably true of other products as well. After all, a ‘nuisance’ can come in many forms, not just smoke. Subjecting people to smoke of any kind is obviously not good from a health standpoint, so if cannabis smoke, tobacco smoke, and other smoke are all treated the same way from an enforcement standpoint then it’s not the end of the world.

Localized Enforcement

Ultimately, cannabis enforcement is going to be handled at a local level in Thailand, including with the new cultivation program. Just as households have to register with the national cultivation program, they also have to register at the local level. If a cannabis smoking nuisance is reported, or any nuisance for that matter, it’s going to be reported to local authorities.

The opinions of local public health offices will play a vital role in cannabis enforcement in Thailand, and with that in mind, the recently expressed views of Phuket’s public health officials are significant. Some of Thailand’s most popular beaches and resorts are located in Phuket.

“Phuket’s Provincial Public Health Office today made a statement to clear up confusion surrounding new cannabis laws. Smoking cannabis is legal, so long as the smoke does not disturb anyone, according to the chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office Dr. Kusak Kukiatkul.” stated coverage in Thaiger.

“However, possessing and smoking cannabis flowers in private establishments such as at home or in dispensaries, or in remote places, is currently ‘legal’ although specific guidelines and laws related to the cultivation and use of cannabis products are yet to be presented to the Thai parliament.” the coverage went on to state.

On June 9th, just a little over a week ago, Thailand embarked on a new cannabis public policy journey when it implemented its new national cannabis laws, and with it, launched a nationwide program in which households can sign up to cultivate low-THC cannabis.

The new cultivation program is the first of its kind on the entire planet, and it has proven to be so popular that on the first day that people could sign up for the cultivation program the government app used to sign households up crashed. Apparently, the app received over 9 million applications on just the first day alone.

As of the morning of June 12th, just three days after the launch of Thailand’s cultivation program, over 650,000 households had already signed up and received notifications to cultivate cannabis. It’s a truly historic time in Thailand, and I reached out to Mr. Wisan Potprasat, President of the River Khwae Herbal Therapeutic Center, for his take on what is going on in Thailand.

Mr. Potprasat is the President of the River Khwae Herbal Therapeutic Center (RHTC), President of Community Enterprise Network of Western Herbal Alliances, and the CEO Cannabis Medical Industrial Estate Association of Thailand. Below is what he had to say:

For more than 88 years, the cultivation and consumption of cannabis in Thailand has been banned by law, although cannabis has played a very important role in traditional Thai medicine in the past.

Many specific cannabis strains seemed to have been lost and it was not possible to carry out research and studies on cannabis breeding over this long period of time.

In recent years, the Thai government has understood that cannabis does more good than harm and so they began to gradually adapt the laws. This opened the way for domestic farmers to create a new income opportunity. In addition, cannabis can be used again in traditional Thai medicine and as a basis for new medicines for the population. On July 9th, a new law came into force that allows the possession, cultivation and consumption of cannabis under certain conditions (THC content must be below 0,2%). Thailand is the first country in South-East Asia that does such a big step in its laws. This important milestone finally decriminalizes the handling of cannabis for private individuals. This will help establish a healthy relationship with the plant that has been cultivated for generations.

As soon as Thailand changed the law in 2018 and allowed to use cannabis for medical purposes, we at RHTC started rediscovering the ancient Thai cannabis strains and bringing them back to Thailand. Luckily, many varieties were rediscovered in neighboring countries, where they “survived” in private gardens for several decades. From the beginning it was important to us to build up a network with local farmers in order to rebuild the Thai cannabis industry together with them. We impart knowledge about the cultivation of cannabis and use modern technology to ensure sustainable cultivation with zero waste and pollution. The perfect climatic conditions in Thailand together with the irrepressible diligence and drive of our young growers ensure that we have now become the largest cannabis producer in Asia. The gradual opening up of laws by the Thai government has enabled us to re-cultivate the ancient cannabis strains of Thailand and it makes as very proud that in the meantime we can offer the best quality in the world.

In the future, of course, further steps and changes in the law will be necessary to further simplify the cultivation, processing and, in particular, trading of cannabis and its products. There are already wider draft laws on cannabis control being discussed in the Thai parliament. However, thanks to the Thai government’s constant and determined legal steps in the right direction, we have already achieved a major lead compared to the rest of the world.

Thailand has officially made a historic cannabis policy shift. As of today, every household in the entire country can sign up to legally cultivate low-THC cannabis plants. It’s the first time in the history of the world that such a public policy was implemented at a national level.

To make the public policy shift even more historic, Thailand isn’t just merely allowing people to cultivate low-THC cannabis. Rather, Thailand’s government is fully embracing the cannabis plant and the industry it creates.

Thailand’s Public Health Minister previously indicated that there will be no plant limit for the government’s cultivation program, so households can cultivate as much as they want to. As part of the rollout of the new law, Thailand is giving away over 1 million cannabis seeds directly to households that sign up to cultivate cannabis.

The government is even giving out low-interest loans to help aspiring cultivators get their operations started. Thailand also launched an app to help streamline the process of people signing up their households to cultivate cannabis. An FAQ public service announcement effort was launched to help people understand the law and cultivation program.

The Health Ministry has largely led the charge for cannabis reform in Thailand, however, it’s not the only government entity embracing the cannabis plant. As we previously reported, a broad spectrum of government agencies in Thailand previously entered into an agreement to do their part to push Thailand’s emerging cannabis industry forward.

Thailand is also working to help right the wrongs of prohibition’s past by releasing thousands of people serving time for cannabis offenses. Courts will also halt current prosecutions that fit within the parameters of the government’s new policy. Every affected defendant/prisoner, regardless of when the offense took place, will have their offenses removed from their records.

To really hammer home the point of how big of a shift Thailand’s new law is from a criminal justice standpoint, not only were charges dropped against a woman that was cultivating cannabis, the officers were punished for arresting her in the first place. All of it took place in the weeks leading up to the new law taking effect – not after the law took effect.

Thailand’s new cannabis policy model still has its limitations, not the least of which is the limit on THC for all cannabis plants and products. It’s tough to fully categorize Thailand as a legal country alongside Uruguay, Canada, and Malta. However, Thailand’s policy is definitely better than every other country that is still clinging to prohibition, especially in the region where Thailand is located.

Thailand is now in a category all of its own when it comes to cannabis policy. When the new policy inevitably succeeds and doomsday scenarios prove to be nothing more than fearmongering, hopefully it results in other countries adopting some or all of Thailand’s policies, and even better, improving upon them.