Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

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Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by Gaybutton »

I have no idea where to buy marijuana seeds or plants. If any of you know, please post.

Remember, recreational use is still illegal. You can smoke marijuana ONLY for legitimate medical purposes. Fines and possible prison time are still in the picture.
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What you can and cannot do with cannabis and hemp

June 8, 2021

The public will be able to grow cannabis and hemp legally from June 9 as the herb will be removed from the Category 5 Narcotics list.

From June 9, here’s what you can do with cannabis and hemp.

Register via app

People growing marijuana from June 9 do not need to seek permission but will have to register via the Food and Drug Administration’s “Plook Ganja” application.

Importing marijuana, hemp seeds

People can import cannabis and hemp seeds or other parts of the plants without seeking permission.

However, they need to seek import permission according to the 1964 Plant Quarantine Act and the 1975 Plants Act.

People who import plant parts that fall under the Category 5 Narcotics list need to seek permission.

Can you smoke cannabis?

Cannabis is allowed for medical use only. People must possess only legal cannabis products and are not allowed to smoke for recreational use.

What’s the penalty for smoking the plant?

According to the Public Health Act, people who smoke cannabis and/or hemp and their smoke or odour are considered a nuisance without any appropriate reason will face a jail term of up to 1 month or a fine of up to THB2,000.

Can officers search, seize cannabis?

With the new Cannabis-Hemp Act, officers can still search and seize cannabis at “suspicious” sites without a search warrant.

Which parts of cannabis, hemp plants are legal?

* Scales, stems, fibres, branches, and roots
* Hemp seed oils and extracts from the seeds
* Cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) extracts of less than 0.2 per cent of the weight

For more information:
https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016391


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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40016423
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Re: Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by Gaybutton »

Thailand legalises cannabis trade but still bans recreational use

By Frances Mao, BBC News

June 9, 2022

People in Thailand can now grow cannabis plants at home and sell the crop after the nation removed marijuana from its banned narcotics list.

The nation is the first to advance such a move in South-East Asia, a region known for its stringent drug laws.

But recreational use is still banned, even though advocates say the easing effectively decriminalises marijuana.

The government is hoping that developing a local cannabis trade will boost agriculture and tourism.

It's even giving away one million cannabis seedlings to citizens to encourage pick-up.

"It is an opportunity for people and the state to earn income from marijuana and hemp," said Anutin Charnvirakul, deputy prime minister and health minister, on his social media accounts last month.

He shared a photo on Facebook of a chicken dish cooked with cannabis, adding that anyone could sell the dish if they followed the rules - the main one being that products must contain less than 0.2% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound that gives users that "high" feeling.

From Thursday, households will be able to cultivate up to six cannabis pot plants at home if they register with authorities, and companies can also farm the plant with a permit.

Diners will also be able to order cannabis-infused dishes and drinks at restaurants.

Clinics across the country can also more freely offer cannabis as a treatment. Thailand was the first in Asia to legalise medicinal cannabis use in 2018.

However, using the drug for personal use is still illegal. Officials have warned people against smoking in public, saying it's considered a public nuisance and offenders risked arrest.

Under the plan the government says it also aims to release about 4,000 prisoners convicted of cannabis-related offences.

Thailand, with its year-round tropical climate, has long had a history with cannabis which many locals commonly used in traditional medicines.

A wider draft law on cannabis control is currently being considered in Thai parliament. Advocates believe that coming years could see a gradual relaxing on the rules governing use.

So is it legal or isn't it? As Thailand's tourist economy recovers from its long Covid slumber, many visitors will be wondering whether the new liberal regime governing cannabis means they can light up a joint wherever and whenever they please.

The answer from the government is no, you cannot smoke marijuana in public, and it is still illegal to sell or supply any products containing more than 0.2% of the main hallucinogenic compound THC.

The official goal is for Thailand to get a head start on its neighbours in winning a large slice of the lucrative market for health treatments using cannabis derivatives, in particular the milder compound CBD. But there is another motive; to reducing overcrowding in some of the world's most overcrowded jails.

Which means, in theory, with cultivation of the plant in any quantities now completely legalised, that the police are now unlikely to arrest people just for possession of marijuana.

Already there are hundreds of businesses in Thailand, operating even before the new law, offering a whole range of marijuana products, like restaurants putting the leaves in Thai curries. It is hard to see how the authorities can regulate how much THC they contain.

The government insists they are permitting production and consumption solely for medical, not recreational purposes, but in practice that line is already blurred.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61741422
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Re: Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by whitedesire »

Hemp is a booming business, however, give folk a inch...
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Re: Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by Gaybutton »

Thailand releases 3,000 cannabis-related inmates today

By Pattaya Mail

June 9, 2022

More than 3,000 inmates earlier imprisoned for cannabis abuse were freed today as the legalization of the plant took effect.

The Corrections Department said 4,075 inmates had been detained for cannabis abuse. Of them, 3,071 had been jailed for marijuana crime alone and 1,004 had also been prosecuted for other crimes. Those with cannabis-related crimes alone were freed. They comprised convicts and detainees pending trial.

For the convicts with other crimes, courts would lift their cannabis-related punishment, the department said.

Today (June 9), all parts of marijuana plants are removed from the government’s Category 5 narcotics list, except cannabis extracts with more than 0.2% content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The delisting is expected to stimulate the economy. The Ministry of Public Health has approved as many as 1,181 items of products with cannabis, hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) including cosmetics, foods, herbs and Thai traditional medicines.

Dr Paisarn Dunkum, secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration, said more than 100,000 people registered for cannabis and hemp planting via an app. The delisting was aimed at allowing households to use the plants to prepare traditional medicines for patients, he said.

https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnew ... day-400977
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Thousands of cannabis offenders being released, but not all

Those also sentenced for other offences remain behind bars

by Online Reporters and Chalit Pumruang

9 June, 2022

More than 4,200 inmates serving sentences for cannabis offences were initially eligible for release from prisons nationwide on Thursday, when the delisting of cannabis as a narcotic drug took effect.

However, those also convicted and sentenced for other offences were not being freed.

Corrections Department deputy director-general Thawatchai Chaiwat said assistance was being provided to inmates in cannabis cases, regarding their release or changes to their penalty.

Lists of inmates who were already surveyed had been sent to the various courts, for their release,.

A total of 3,071 prisoners serving jail terms in single cannabis offences woud be released from prisons nationwide on Thursday, Mr Thawatchai said.

In Nakhon Sawan Central Prison, for example, 10 inmates serving jail terms for cannabis offences were eligible, but none were released. The atmosphere at the prison remained quiet.

The Public Health Ministry has announced that the removal of cannabis and hemp from the category 5 drug list is effective from Thursday, June 9.

Nakhon Sawan Prison chief Supachok Khuanruechai said on Thursday that the prison had coordinated with the provincial court on the number of inmates serving cannabis-related sentences who would be released under the new legislation.

There were 17 prisoners. One was recently transferred to Phetchabun province to pay a fine. Six others were already released, leaving 10 inmates serving jail terms for cannabis offences.

However, those inmates could not be released because they were also convicted and sentenced for other offences, Mr Supachok said.

Narcotics Suppression Bureau director Pol Gen Roy Ingkapairote, a deputy national police chief, said on Thursday that more than 4,200 prisoners in cannabis cases would be eligible for release. Cases pending investigation would also be dropped, and arrest warrants issued for cannabis use would be revoked, he said.

Cannabis is no longer an illicit drug. A Ministry of Public Health announcement published in the Royal Gazette on Feb 9 took effect on June 9. This means the production, import, export, distribution, consumption and possession of cannabis for health and medical purpose is formally legalised.

However, possession and use of extracts with more than 0.2% THC, and public recreational use of the drug, remain illegal.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ut-not-all
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Re: Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by Jun »

They are freeing up production, but still restricting consumption ?

A cynic would ask if the objective is to relax the law just enough so that people start ignoring the rules and hence tea money can be collected, via the usual channels.
There must be some way of the authorities monetizing this for themselves.
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Re: Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by Gaybutton »

Jun wrote: Thu Jun 09, 2022 7:17 pm
There must be some way of the authorities monetizing this for themselves.
That certainly would come as no surprise to me. My guess is it won't be long before these rules go the way of Thailand's prostitution rules.

In my opinion a law isn't a law at all unless it is enforced. If we even see any marijuana arrests and/or fines, that will quickly fizzle out - especially if such cases start overloading the courts. They just released 3000 people who had been in prison for marijuana violations. I can't imagine they would want them to be replaced by another 3000 on different kinds of marijuana violations. It's like giving a bag of candy to children and then trying to tell them which pieces they're not supposed to eat.

I'm glad they legalized marijuana. I think that should have been done long ago, but I think it is an absurd exercise in futility to try to accompany legalizing it with a set of rules that have about zero chance of working.

I'll be surprised if that many people even bother with that "Plook Ganja" app, much less paying any attention to the rules. I won't be surprised when the first news reports start coming in about car accidents due to the driver being high on marijuana.

You can possess marijuana. You can grow marijuana plants. But unless it is for valid medical reasons (and who determines that?) you can't smoke marijuana. Are the people who come up with these rules for real?
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Re: Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by Undaunted »

I guess this store didn’t read this:
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
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Re: Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by Dodger »

Only in Thailand!

Not one single person convicted of marijuana usage (or sales) in Thailand was imprisoned for smoking or selling marijuana with a THC level of 0.2% or less. The only way this would be possible is if the person was smoking or selling the worthless stems which are always thrown away when marijuana is prepared for usage. The only part of a marijuana plant that gets you high are the leaves - and they're telling people now that smoking the leaves is still illegal - which is beyond laughable.

I'm glad to see the prisoners released if that's all they did wrong was smoke a joint, but who's kidding who regarding the governments motives for this money-making charade.

What's equally absurd is the fact that the BIB aren't even prepared to test THC levels in marijuana unless they plan on carting portable chemical labs on the backs of their pick up trucks.

I guess this is the true definition of the term "Tea Money".
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Re: Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by Gaybutton »

Now that marijuana has been legalized in Thailand, your guess is as good as mine as to how many people are now growing it. Marijuana shops have opened nationwide. It can even be ordered online. There are ads for foreign tourists to come to a marijuana mecca.

By the way, the penalties for marijuana use and possession still remain the same in all the other Asian countries - including the death penalty in some. Don't try to take any marijuana out of Thailand.

One slight problem - it was supposed to be for medicinal use only. It hasn't quite worked out that way. Now several medical and religious groups want Thailand to rescind the legalization and render it illegal again.

I'd say that is an impossible task and the Thai government seems unwilling to even try to rescind it. I don't blame them. Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it is awfully difficult to put it back in again.
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Thai Marijuana Act Consideration Committee rejects petitions for suspension of decriminalization, addresses concerns

By Nop Meechukhun

25 July, 2022

The Marijuana Act Consideration Committee has thanked the medical personnel of Ramathibodi Hospital and various groups like Islamic organizations in the South of Thailand after they raised concerns over the law-free period of marijuana decriminalization and urged the government’s action upon it.

This followed Thailand’s Forensic Medical Association’s statement on Sunday, July 24th, which listed the names of 851 representatives from resident doctors, medical teachers, and medical alumni of the Faculty of Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital to urge the government to immediately shut down the law-free status.

Committee Chairman Supachai Jaisamut responded today, July 25th, that the Ministry of Public Health has always prioritized public safety and issued an announcement to protect public health, especially for teenagers under the age of 20.

The committee is currently investigating how young generations use cannabis and hemp in the medical systems. So far, it did not appear to have any significant implications, meaning that the previous announcements were lawful.

Supachai also thanked the medical team and reassured them that their intention is the same – to expedite the enactment of laws as soon as possible to shut down the law-free period.

“This current situation doesn’t cause so many problems for society and youth that they are beyond government control. However, the Committee will accelerate and proceed with the marijuana draft law consideration as soon as possible. I believed the consideration will be completed by the end of this month. Then, the draft will be submitted to the council for approval,” the chairman added.

TPN notes this appears to shut down any immediate requests to shut down, suspend, or reverse the decriminalization of marijuana in Thailand for now.

https://thepattayanews.com/2022/07/25/t ... -concerns/
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Re: Marijuana - Thailand, June 9 - As of today marijuana is legal - but there are rules

Post by Gaybutton »

I think making marijuana legal is the right step. If they really want to do things right, I'd say it's also about time to legalize prostitution and make 16 the age of consent. For such a long time the powers-that-be worldwide made it seem as if marijuana is a terrible thing. Personally, I'm sick and tired of those same powers-that-be always coming across as if sex is also a terrible thing. Bullshit!

"Selling is legal. Fucking is legal. Why isn't selling fucking legal?"
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Pot policy 'won't be axed'

Anutin rejects calls for its suspension

by Apinya Wipatayotin

July 27, 2022

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has refused to back down from his decision to decriminalise cannabis despite calls for the policy to be immediately suspended.

Mr Anutin, who also serves as a deputy prime minister, said on Tuesday that a House committee scrutinising the bill on cannabis and hemp is expected to finish work on the bill by the end of next month before presenting it for approval by parliament and royal endorsement.

Mr Anutin said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has promised to push the bill through during the current parliamentary session.

"We cannot step back and make cannabis an illegal drug again. The plant is useful as a form of medical treatment and will benefit the economy. We have come too far [to turn back now]," said Mr Anutin, who also leads the Bhumjaithai Party.

He tried to allay the concerns of those calling for the policy's suspension, saying regulations are in place to control the use of cannabis and that its abuse by children is also illegal.

Pushing through the decriminalisation of cannabis was among Bhumjaithai's flagship policies ahead of the 2019 election.

Over 850 doctors and staff at Ramathibodi Hospital are calling to reverse the decision, pending the implementation of adequate controls to prevent the abuse of cannabis by youths.

This latest salvo was announced by the president of the Forensic Physicians Association of Thailand, Smith Srisont, in a Facebook post on Monday.

Dr Smith said 851 doctors, lecturers as well as alumni of Ramathibodi Hospital under Mahidol University are calling for the policy's immediate suspension because decriminalisation without adequate controls to prevent cannabis use outside of medicinal purposes could have a negative impact on young people's physical and mental development.

In response, Bhumjaithai Party MP Supachai Jaisamut, who chairs the panel overseeing cannabis- and hemp-related laws, said there are rules in place that are meant to prevent cannabis abuse, especially by individuals under 20 years of age.

Addressing the doctors' concerns, he said the government is "doing its best to come up with more effective rules to seal off any remaining legal loopholes in our medical cannabis regulations".

Supat Champathong, permanent secretary for the Education Ministry, on Tuesday voiced support for the call, saying some announcements issued by the Public Health Ministry to regulate the use of cannabis were still unclear.

"One regulation bans the consumption of cannabis in public places, but not in private places or at home," Mr Supat said.

"There was a news report about a school where students took cannabis in a closed-door classroom, but police could not take any action because they interpreted the action as having taken place in a private space," he said.

"But this was clearly illegal because the school is a public place and people under 20 are banned from using cannabis."

He said the liberalisation of cannabis should be suspended pending the enactment of clear legal controls.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... nt-be-axed
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