Thailand has been on the forefront of the cannabis movement in its region, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to sanction the medical use of cannabis in 2018 and delisting cannabis with a THC level below 0.2% in January, also making it the first Asian country to do so. Now, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is welcoming the country’s legalization of household cannabis cultivation and use in June, offering 1 million cannabis plants for free, according to a Nation Thailand report.
After June 9, people in Thailand will be able to grow “as many cannabis plants” as they’d like, Charnvirakul said, though the cannabis must be medical grade and used for medicinal purposes only. However, home cultivators will not need any official registration to grow weed at home.
Charnvirakul first shared the perk on Sunday in a Facebook post, while outlining the separate benefits of commercial cultivation in the country. Thailand’s registered cannabis companies are allowed to sell products with less than 0.2% THC, but Charnvirakul said that people could also operate cannabis-related businesses and enterprises under the country’s new rules.
“This will enable people and the government to generate more than 10 billion baht [per year] in revenue from marijuana and hemp,” he said. He adds that people will be able to showcase their cannabis and hemp-related products, along with their knowledge and wisdom on the topic, to sell their products around the nation.
In addition, Charnvirakul said that entrepreneurs and businesses will be able to compete freely in Thailand’s cannabis market, since there will be no concessions.
Small sellers of cannabis-related products also won’t need to register with the Food and Drug Administration, though large cannabis-related businesses will still need permission to operate from the FDA, Charnvirakul said.
Advocates have similarly expressed their hopes that the eased cannabis laws in Thailand could improve the economy after COVID-19. As the landscape around cannabis has shifted in the country, it’s refocused the conversation around how cannabis tourism might enhance other industries that pull in tourists.
“A lot of people come here to get their faces fixed with plastic surgery,” said Carl K. Linn, author of a Thailand newsletter about cannabis. “A lot of people come to do dental work and oral surgery, and for wellness retreats. Within that context, marijuana will integrate beautifully.”
Linn doesn’t see the country becoming a “stoner paradise” so to speak; rather, he thinks cannabis could be folded into Thailand’s medical and wellbeing industries. The country already has cafes, spas, and restaurants offering CBD-infused products, and the new legislation could eventually allow these places to expand their products to include other components of cannabis.
Experts from the travel industry have expressed similar sentiments, believing that the market will continue to grow as Thailand eases their cannabis regulations.
“Thailand is well known as a destination for medical tourism and wellness travel. So, these sectors will surely benefit from the latest developments,” said Dirk De Cuyper, CEO of S Hotels and Resorts.
When Thailand’s plans to decriminalize cannabis first became known in January, Krungsri Research Analyst Chaiwat Sowcharoensuk said, while THC amounts will still remain controlled, the current market will additionally be able to incorporate cannabis into a number of cosmetic products.
“Producers of soaps, beauty products and cosmetics from marijuana will likely be the ones to benefit the most from the decriminalization,” Sowcharoensuk said.
Thailand also made headlines late last year, when the Thailan Public Health Ministry established the International Medical Cannabis Research Center. This new research center is meant to create a knowledge hub for genetic research on medical cannabis to bring together doctors, researchers and experts from a number of countries to conduct research on cannabis products.
The center will also develop and exchange knowledge on medical cannabis. Charnvirakul said the ministry has historically promoted medical cannabis and its safe use for medical treatment, recognizing that cannabis can be used to treat diseases like cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis with muscle pain and neuralgia.
Time will tell how this new market shapes up, but Thailand is surely looking to set the precedent for the road ahead and potential future of the Asian cannabis market as a whole.
