Thailand is The First Asian Nation to Legalize Marijuana

  • 2 years ago
Thailand's Food and Drug Administration legalized the cultivation and possession of Marijuana on June 9.
1 million marijuana seedlings are set to be distributed by the nation's public health administration beginning June 10.
"I can say it out loud, that I am a cannabis smoker. I don’t need to hide like in the past when it was branded as a illegal drug." Rittipong Bachkul, Cannabis Cafe Customer, via AP
"It is pretty clear that we have come very far and finally are legalizing its use." Rattapon Sanrak, Cannabis Café Owner, via AP
Small business owners who can now sell marijuana legally agree that legalization equates to progress in many ways.
"The government understands that it’s more pros than cons." Rattapon Sanrak, Cannabis Café Owner, via AP
While no marijuana regulations are currently in place, the Thai government has reportedly discouraged smoking marijuana.
"As far as the government is concerned, it’s their job to promote medical use only." Rattapon Sanrak, Cannabis Café Owner, via AP
Despite the celebrations over the legalization, experts say that "there are still risks" as to how or if marijuana will now be regulated.
"The problem is that cannabis is no longer considered a narcotic but there are no ministry regulations and rules governing the use of it. There is no mention of limits on use, drug-impaired driving laws. This could be a mistake by the government in trying to rush out its policy to please voters without really planning the details and explaining to the public what’s going on." Prof. Sarana Sommano, Chiang Mai University, via AP
Government officials, however, say that the benefits outweigh the necessary growing pains of legalization.
"If we have the right awareness, cannabis is like gold, something valuable, and should
be promoted." Prof. Sarana Sommano, Chiang Mai University, via AP
"A major positive outcome of the legal changes is that at least 4,000 people imprisoned for offenses relating to cannabis will be released." Gloria Lai, International Drug Policy Consortium, via AP

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