Thailand to legalize cannabis buds and flowers next year

In 2018, Thailand became the first country in Asia to legalize marijuana for medical and research purposes. The week of December 6, the country announced plans to further relax cannabis laws, including removing the flowers and buds of the plant from the list of banned narcotics.

The Minister of Public Health and Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, made a statement on the matter at an event on the promotion of cannabis cultivation. According to him, the stems, roots, twigs, leaves, buds, flowers and seeds of cannabis will be removed from the list of narcotics next year.

Note that in Thailand, the stems, roots, leaves and strands of cannabis are currently no longer considered drugs.

An initiative that benefits everyone

Charnvirakul said at one point that legalization would benefit everyone. Regarding this bud and flower legalization project, the man said it will mainly help those hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to him, people will continue to do the same things and compete with each other when the economy picks up and there are no new products as alternatives. This initiative will thus allow them to have the choice. They will be able to create new products and business models, and this will help quickly revive the country’s economy.

We know that cannabis and hemp are no longer included in the new narcotics code which officially entered into force on December 9. From next year, people will also be able to start processing and selling cannabis flowers and buds freely, outside of medical and research settings.

Cannabis flowers are particularly high in THC, compared to the stems, roots and leaves. This is why scientists consider them to be the most potent part of the plant. Therefore, they are very popular, whether to be incorporated into food, rolled into joints, or smoked in pipes or vaporizers.

Cannabis and development

So far, the Thai government has strictly controlled the cultivation of cannabis. Thus, the flowers and buds are removed during harvest, either to be donated to local hospitals, to be transformed into alternative medicines or sent to local universities for research. In some cases, they are simply destroyed.

Since the laws were relaxed in 2018, there has been a real ‘boom’ in the manufacture of cannabis products. This growth could still continue with the new law which will allow growers to freely use the entire plant.

Kitty Chopaka, Founder and CEO of Elevated Estate, said the developments mean that the cannabis industry in Thailand is growing and will get even bigger.

ʺ We could probably see a Thai cannabis and hemp related company going public and big companies slowly making their way into Thailand as we become a real market. ʺ, she added.

SOURCE: Vice