Cannabis and hemp have been officially legalised and removed from the national drugs list by the Thai government.
During a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam yesterday, the Narcotics Control Board approved the removal of cannabis and hemp from Schedule 5 of the National Narcotics List, as proposed by the Ministry of Public Health.
The removal of these two items will still leave opium, magic mushrooms and cannabis extracts containing more than 0.2% THC on Schedule 5 of the Narcotics Control List.
Anutin Charnvirakul, the Public Health Minister, said that his political party, the Bhumjaithai Party, would introduce the Cannabis and Hemp Bill in Parliament today, adding that the party would continue to push for its enactment.
The law, once passed, will be effective 120 days after its publication in the official newspaper, allowing the general public to cultivate these plants.
With this proposed law, local residents will have to inform the competent authorities before cultivating cannabis or hemp. Any private cultivation of these plants before the law comes into force is considered illegal.