Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul led the charge for decriminalization, seeing it as an opportunity to alleviate poverty among rural farmers, ease the burden on the country’s prison system, and turn Thailand into a health and wellness destination.
Still, many restrictions remain in place. Sales to people younger than 20 are prohibited, and the import and export of cannabis remains heavily regulated. Confusingly, cannabis flower and products that contain more than 0.2 per cent THC are still considered narcotics, though there is no THC limit on the sale of cannabis plant parts.
Home growers are also subject to random inspections, according to Thailand’s food and drug regulator.registered to produce or sell cannabis in Thailand, and a significant percentage of the population has economic links to the plant. Any reversal of the current legislation could lead to political turmoil for MFP, which currently has 313 seats and needs to 63 more to form a parliamentary majority.
“If it becomes illegal again I would have to stop the investment and find a market elsewhere,” he said. “Rolling back the law would send a ripple effect across not only the weed industry but many others, including real estate — there are more than a thousand dispensaries in Bangkok alone — so that’s a lot of income disappearing for landlords.”that many remain unclear about which shops are legal and what consumers can legally purchase.