Yo, what’s good? It’s your boy Dan coming at you with some fresh news. You ever heard of Thailand? I’m talking ancient temples, dope-ass food, and beautiful views. But that ain’t all they got going on now. On June 9th, 2022, the Thai government went ahead and removed all parts of the cannabis plant from the narcotics list. That’s right, weed is legal in Thailand now. And not just a little bit – citizens can grow as many plants as they want at home, and restaurants can serve up some cannabis-infused dishes. But before you start packing your bags for a weed-centric vacation, there are still some things to keep in mind.
First off, let’s break down the new laws real quick. The government mainly legalized weed for medicinal purposes. If you get caught smoking in public, you’re gonna have to pay up a fine and face up to three months in prison. Cannabis extracts with a THC percentage over 0.2% are still illegal. Restaurants and cafes can serve up some cannabis-infused foods as long as their products don’t contain more than 0.2% THC. You can smoke in your own crib without getting busted, and you can grow as many plants as you want at home. You can even legally distribute cannabis plants.
Now before you start thinking that Thailand is about to become the Amsterdam of Asia, let me tell you there are still some strict rules around public use and THC-containing extracts. The government had three main reasons for legalizing weed – for medical purposes, economic benefits, and to give citizens another option for their health. So while recreational use remains off the list of objectives, there’s still a lot of potential for growth in this new industry.
But can you grow weed in Thailand? Hell yeah! The Royal Thai Police say citizens can legally own and grow cannabis plants, distribute cannabis plants, and smoke it too. So go ahead and plant that seed and watch it grow on your balcony or in your garden or grow room or wherever you want to cultivate some green buds. Just make sure to register with the government app PlookGanja.
Now it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in this new world of legal weed. Some people in the industry are concerned about new growers not being able to control the quality of their flowers. And big businesses have got their sights set on this new market too – but they gotta get a license from the Food and Drug Authority first.
And what about recreational marijuana? Well, the objectives of legalizing cannabis centre around medicinal use according to the Thai government. So while you can use it at home without getting into trouble, smoking in public will land you a hefty fine and some time behind bars under a public nuisance offence. And extracts are limited to a THC content of just 0.2%.
But restaurants and cafes are likely to see some increased profits if they get into selling some cannabis-infused dishes. They’ve been serving up CBD-infused foods for a while now, but with these new laws they can incorporate actual cannabis into their menus too – as long as they stay within that 0.2% THC limit.
Now I know what you’re thinking – what does this mean for tourism in Thailand? Well, things look promising but there are still some legal barriers preventing it from becoming the Amsterdam of Asia just yet. The Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister of Thailand himself discouraged tourists from coming solely to access recreational weed.
So how did Thailand legalize weed anyway? This has been a long time coming – back in 2016, the Thai Justice Minister called for decriminalization of cannabis. In 2019, cannabis was legalized for medicinal purposes under a policy change by the newly elected cabinet. And during an election campaign in 2018, one party promised to legalize weed – and boy did they come through on that promise.
But things remain somewhat murky – there are concerns about limits on use and drug-impaired driving laws that need to be addressed. And lawmakers are worried about large corporations taking over the sector like they did with alcohol.
So there you have it folks – an inside look at legal weed in Thailand straight from your boy Dan’s mouth. Peace out!