Thailand to Distribute One Million Cannabis Plants for Medical Purposes to Households
Thai Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, announced in a May Facebook post that the Thai government will distribute 1,000,000 cannabis plants for medical purposes to households across the nation for free starting in June.
Thai Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, announced in a May 8 Facebook post that the Thai government will distribute 1,000,000 cannabis plants to households for free starting June 9 (1). Thailand residents will be able grow “as many cannabis plants” as they like in their own homes for medical purposes only, according to Charnvirakul (2). Reportedly, licensing will not be required for home cultivation, unlike commercial cannabis and hemp companies in the country. Large-scale enterprises will still need permission from the country’s Food and Drug Administration to make cannabis products (3).
In an additional Facebook post on May 10, Charnvirakul noted that Thai companies registered to do so could sell cannabis products that contained less than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). “This will enable people and the government to generate more than 10 billion baht ($288,846,200 per year) in revenue from marijuana and hemp,” Charnvirakul said. “Meanwhile, people can showcase their cannabis and hemp-related products and wisdom and sell their products nationwide” (1).
In 2018, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize cannabis for medical research and use, and last January it became the first country in Asia to legally allow cannabis. The intention is to redefine cannabis as a “household crop,” and is the latest step in Thailand’s plan to transform cannabis into a cash crop (2).
References
- https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/11/asia/million-free-cannabis-plants-to-be-distributed-to-thai-households-intl-hnk/index.html
- https://hightimes.com/news/thailand-to-give-away-1-million-free-cannabis-plants-for-home-cultivation/
- https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/thailand-providing-free-cannabis-plants-home-cultivation-84645779
Medical Cannabis Campaigning with Americans for Safe Access
September 4th 2024As discussions about the federal scheduling of cannabis continue, efforts by medical cannabis advocates are intensifying. One such advocate is Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a nonprofit organization founded by patients for patients. Since 2002, ASA has been championing the rights of medical cannabis patients and has recently launched new campaigns and strategies to refocus attention on patient needs. In this interview, Steph Sherer, founder and president of ASA, reflects on past successes in medical cannabis advocacy, shares her perspective on recent cannabis and hemp policymaking, and outlines the next steps for advancing a unified medical cannabis message on Capitol Hill—a message that could bring about the changes patients have long awaited.
