According to the Associated Press, CNN and many other media reports, Thailand’s marijuana legalization bill went into effect on June 9, making it no longer a crime to grow and trade marijuana in Thailand and allowing cafes and restaurants to serve food and drinks infused with marijuana if the marijuana extracts contains less than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul plan to distribute 1 million marijuana seedlings from June 10 to promote cannabis cultivation. He still said, however, that marijuana must still not be used for recreational purposes or face penalties. Since then, Thailand has become the first nation in Asia to decriminalize marijuana.
Marijuana is a strictly controlled product under the United Nations drug conventions and is illegal to smoke in most countries, but there are countries that allow it. Uruguay, for example, was the first country in the world to fully legalize the cultivation as well as the trade of marijuana.
However, because cannabis is often used in medicine to assist in the treatment of certain terminal illnesses (e.g., cancer, AIDS), to enhance appetite, to relieve pain, and so on. And a class of synthetic cannabis active ingredient THC is openly prescribed in many countries, so there are some countries that also allow the medical use of cannabis. Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also said that legalizing marijuana is not only to boost the economy, but mainly for medical purposes and to promote the development of medical marijuana in the market.