The Public Health Minister of Thailand plans to distribute one million free cannabis plants in June, when home cultivation and use of the cannabis plant are due to be officially legalized under Thai law for medicinal users.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that starting June 9, Thai citizens will no longer be required to obtain a permit to cultivate cannabis in their homes. The cannabis cultivated must be of medical grade and used exclusively for medicinal purposes.
Anutin announced the decision in a Facebook post on Sunday (8 May), in which he outlined the benefits of commercial cultivation.
The sale of cannabis products containing less than 0.2% THC, the psychoactive compound, is currently legal in Thailand.
According to Anutin, cannabis and hemp products could generate up to 10 billion baht in annual revenue if both public and private enterprises are permitted to operate freely under the new regulations.
The minister of public health added that the new rules allow small operators to launch marijuana-related businesses without registering with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while large-scale operations will continue to require authorization.
Thailand became the first south-east Asian country to legalize medical cannabis in 2018.
Check out this cannabis ice-cream from Black Canyon in Thailand – Video (Instagram)