The Ministry of Public Health of Thailand stated that it will push for the legalization of cannabis in 2022.
As reported by the Bangkok Post, the country had already removed cannabis stems and branches from its list of category 5 narcotic substances but kept flowers and buds.
However, the new Narcotics Code, which came into force last Thursday, no longer includes cannabis and hemp.
According to the Thai newspaper, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul outlined the next goals in the regulation of the plant: “What we have achieved so far is to declare that cannabis stems, roots, and leaves are not drugs. Starting next year, we will remove everything – stems, roots, leaves, buds, flowers, and seeds – from the list of narcotic drugs.”
Cannabis And Hemp In Thailand
The only exception to the new rule is that CBD extracts with a THC percentage higher than 0.2% will not be allowed. Charnvirakul justified this by saying that “the figure has not been set unilaterally by Thailand. It is the standard of the World Health Organization.”
In the meantime, once the new narcotics schedule comes into effect, all cannabis-derived products (such as oil, soap, cosmetics, and supplements, which normally have less than 0.2% THC) will be authorized in the country.
The objective behind the relaxation of cannabis regulations is to stimulate the economy, agricultural tourism, and encourage people to grow and process cannabis to supplement their income.
Thus, residents of the country who wish to grow cannabis at home will be able to do so without quantity restrictions. The only requirement is to obtain permission from local authorities before doing so.