Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Thursday, Thailand became the first Asian country to legalise the cultivation of marijuana and its usage ...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Thursday, Thailand became the first Asian country to legalise the cultivation of marijuana and its usage in food and beverages, with the goal of bolstering its agriculture and tourism sectors. However, smoking marijuana remains illegal.
Shoppers waited in line at stores selling cannabis-infused beverages, candies, and other products as champions of the plant celebrated the reform in a nation with a longstanding reputation for having stringent anti-drug policies.
"After COVID and the deteriorating economy, we really need this," said Chokwan Kitty Chopaka, proprietor of a business that sells cannabis gum candies.
In 2018, Thailand, which has a history of utilising cannabis to alleviate pain and exhaustion, legalised medical marijuana.
The government, anticipating the plant's potential as a cash crop, intends to give away one million plants to encourage farmers to cultivate it.
However, by regulating the potency of legal cannabis products, the government hopes to prevent an explosion of recreational usage.
Possession and sale of cannabis extracts containing more than 0.2 percent of its psychoactive element, tetrahydrocannabinol, are prohibited, preventing smokers of the drug known as "pot" or "weed" from becoming "high."
Those who violate the law are still subject to jail time and fines.
Growers of cannabis are required to register on a government app called PlookGanja, or cultivate ganja, another name for the plant with spiked leaves. Paisan Dankhum, a health ministry official, reported that close to 100,000 people have registered for the app.
