Green way of life’: Thailand sees cannabis boom after law change

[hashi]

Green way of life’: Thailand sees cannabis boom after law change

 

Southeast Asian country is seeing an explosion in cannabis products since plant’s removal from banned narcotics list.

New supply chains for cannabis products are emerging in Thailand since the Southeast Asian country removed the plant from its list of banned narcotics [Courtesy of Vijitra Duangdee]

By Vijitra Duangdee

Published On 11 Jul 202211 Jul 2022

Bangkok/Pattaya, Thailand – Mada, 21, works at a weed dispensary in eastern Thailand, her boyfriend grows cannabis plants at home, and several of her friends sell bongs, pipes and buds in pop-up stalls and bars.

Thailand has gone “baa her”, or crazy, for cannabis since the plant was effectively decriminalised last month.

 

New supply chains are rapidly sprouting for products based on cannabis and its derivatives, from cannabis leaves used in sriracha hot sauce and gummy bears infused with terpenes – the compounds that give cannabis its taste and smell – to hemp teas and pre-rolled joints.

“My age group ‘Gen Z’ don’t really drink alcohol but we do smoke weed,” Mada told Al Jazeera, sitting slightly bleary-eyed behind a counter at a hastily assembled dispensary in Pattaya.

Thailand’s removal of cannabis from its list of banned narcotics on June 9 was intended only to make it easier for growers and consumers of cannabis products to access the plant for medicinal or culinary purposes. Smoking the drug recreationally remains against the law.

Nevertheless, recreational use has also taken off across the Southeast Asian country, driving a nascent business in cannabis buds, cookies and beverages that police are unable to stymie under existing drug laws.

Siam Cannabis Land in Chonburi province, eastern Thailand is among the beneficiaries of Thailand’s recent relaxation of its drug laws [File: Courtesy of Vijitra Duangdee]

For many young people in particular, cannabis products have provided badly needed streams of income following the collapse of tourism, which normally provides about one-fifth of the kingdom’s jobs, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Since the law changed you see across Instagram stories about how many of my age group now have a new chance to make a living,” Mada said.

“Look at me, I got this full-time gig working at this dispensary.”

On social media, the hashtag #saikiew, or “green way of life”, has become a popular way to promote cannabis products and share tips on cultivating the plant.

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So far, tens of thousands of small-scale farmers have registered to grow cannabis legally, while many more are believed to be trying their hand at unregistered home farms.

But the relative free-for-all which has given Thailand the most open cannabis regime in Asia could be short lived.

With a cannabis bill due before parliament in the coming weeks, politicians are under pressure to curb – or even ban – recreational use and ensure cannabis does not reach children.

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul last week clarified that the relaxation of the law was intended for medical purposes.

“The whole plant is no longer (a) narcotic,” he told reporters, adding that “only the extract – not the flowers, the trees nor the roots” with “under 0.2 percent THC” can be used, referring to the compound which provides the drug’s high.

Others fear that once the hype wears off, small businesses will be left with a market saturated with cannabis and forced to shoulder high costs to grow premium strains with better profit margins.

“It’s not that simple to grow good weed,” Piyatida Jantra, who has been cultivating around 100 plants per crop for the last three years, told Al Jazeera.

“If you just want to grow Thai strains, you can just plant them in your back yard and they will grow … but if you want to grow other strains you have to know how, otherwise it’s too risky to put in your money.”

Some experts predict the Thai cannabis market could soon be worth several billion dollars a year [File: Courtesy of Vijitra Duangdee]

Experts predict the Thai cannabis market could soon be worth several billion dollars a year if the law remains liberal.

Most of that is expected to be soaked up by big businesses who have bought land for plantations, owners of factories making high-end CBD oils and the wellness resorts expected to receive tourists from across the world for treatments.

There are other details behind the headline figure that suggest the spoils of cannabis are not going to Thai smallholders.

Currently, demand is high for stronger strains of cannabis not indigenous to Thailand – such as the potent White Widow, which contains up to 25 percent THC.

The inability of local growers to meet demand has resulted in illegal American imports filling Thai shelves, according to industry figures.

“Around 70 percent of weed circulating right now in the Thai market is from the US imports,” a longtime cannabis grower who goes by the pseudonym Squid Roll told Al Jazeera.

Cannabis dispensaries are selling his premium weed at 700 baht ($19.45) a gram – two and half times what he sells it to wholesalers for.

“People are seeing the plant only as a way to make money … it’s sad because that’s not what ganja (culture) is all about.”

For Chokwan “Kitty” Chopaka, a longtime advocate for cannabis legalisation who recently opened the Chopaka Shop dispensary in downtown Bangkok, it is likely too late to roll back the law on recreational use.

“It is interesting to see how society changes with the thought of the ‘cha-ching’ (money),” Chopaka told Al Jazeera, citing the tax revenue for an indebted government as one of the wider motivators for easing the law.

“Suddenly a ‘druggie’ turns into a business person and a bedroom grower turns into a master grower … anyone who takes a selfie with some weed, the next day their phone won’t stop ringing with people asking for their help to enter the market.“

Source: Al Jazeera

 

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/7/11/thailands-booming-marijuana-economy

[twigs]

8 minutes ago, hashi said:

Smoking the drug recreationally remains against the law

 

 no it isn’t, smoking in public is against recommendation iirc.

 

 

[twigs]

11 minutes ago, hashi said:

Currently, demand is high for stronger strains of cannabis not indigenous to Thailand

 

 i bet it’s not! 

[Simple Jack]

26 minutes ago, hashi said:

But the relative free-for-all which has given Thailand the most open cannabis regime in Asia could be short lived.

 

Enjoy it while it lasts! 

[Larry Badgeley]

1 hour ago, twigs said:

 

 i bet it’s not! 

 

I bet it isn't either. You wont smoke a stronger or tastier Weed than what we scored in the VS Guesthouse in Bangkok. We smoked a joint about midday and we were still wasted when we took the train south at 5 o'clock.

[Slippy One]

@Larry Badgeleymy weed will do this from 10am!

 

[rolio]

I know someone who's doing real well out of this, it's quite nice to see someone who's particularly good at what they do make a legitimate living tbh 

[Ch@ppers]

My nephew had a consultation earlier today online with a Thai lawyer going through the process of opening a company, business account, and licence information, he has farmland and a Thai passport, he is going over soon, he is looking at starting something up. 

[Newcouch]

I'm confused. It seems the govt have legalised hemp  Les than 0.2% THC, and not the flowers. But everyone is growing, selling smoking proper stuff?

Is that right?

Crazy.

 

[latigid aikon]

14 minutes ago, Newcouch said:

I'm confused. It seems the govt have legalised hemp  Les than 0.2% THC, and not the flowers.

No, it's been badly misreported. The 0.2% THC restriction only applies to concentrates, not flower.

[Farmer Fett]

Another country leaving us behind in the dust. Fairplay to them.

[Ch@ppers]

It's a green-rush free for all over there at the moment 

[hashi]

I wonder if Thailand made a real good go of it.

Which  i really do hope that they do.

 

Would say maybe another Asian country follow  say like the Philippines  or Cambodia

Or Vietnam .

 

A Asia green wave.

 

Speaking of waves why we dont use them to make energy i dont know.

[Themadhippy]

Quote

I'm confused

your not the only one
 

Quote

 

The Ministry of Public Health recalled an urgent letter shortly after it was sent to the Royal Thai Police (RTP) asking them to take legal action against those who failed to seek permits related to the use of cannabis.

The recall was apparently prompted by the RTP's reaction.

In the letter to the national police chief, deputy permanent secretary for Public Health Narong Saiwong said cannabis has been listed as a controlled herb under the Traditional Medicine Wisdom Protection and Promotion Act.

The plant was put on the list of controlled herbs in mid-June after it was removed from the country's narcotics list on June 9 to control its use. However, a more detailed law on cannabis and hemp is still pending.

 

As a result, its usage is being regulated under Section 46 of the act, and police and officials are authorised to take legal action against four groups who fail to seek permits. They comprise those who carry out research studies on cannabis, export cannabis, distribute the plant or process it for commercial purposes.

However, RTP spokesman Pol Maj Gen Yingyot Thepjamnong said there are certain issues the RTP has to clarify with the Ministry of Public Health in regard to the letter.

He said the national police chief found contradictions that must be addressed.

"To prevent public confusion and ensure effective enforcement, the national police chief has asked the RTP's Law and Litigation Office to straighten some issues out with the ministry," Pol Maj Gen Yingyot said.

Yongyot Thammawut, director-general of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, said a sub-committee agreed the list of controlled herbs should be revised to cover only cannabis flowers.

He said if the whole plant is listed as a controlled herb, cannabis growers and those who use other parts such as leaves, roots or stems will be affected. After the list is revised, it will be submitted to the minister for endorsement.

"For the time being, authorities will resort to warnings rather than making arrests ... unless the plant is sold for smoking.

"The ministry has made clear its stance on the recreational use of cannabis. Medicinal cannabis will proceed and misuse must be prevented," he said.

According to the ministry, permits must be sought in line with its 2016 directive on the research, import, distribution or procession of controlled herbs for commercial purposes.

Mr Yongyot and chiefs of provincial health offices are in charge of processing permits.

Before the letter was recalled, Senator Kamnoon Sidhisamarn welcomed the Ministry of Public Health's action, saying it should have sent the letter to the RTP earlier.

He wrote on Facebook that most activities related to the use of cannabis are illegal unless they are permitted under Section 46 of the act.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reiterated on Wednesday that the draft law being examined by the House does not permit recreational use of the plant.

He said the letter involves the use of cannabis flowers and insisted that drying cannabis flowers for smoking is illegal, not to mention that it is against the excise regulations on cigarettes.

"Selling cannabis flowers requires a permit and it is impossible for us to grant permits for smoking. Don't make people devalue cannabis.

"What would happen to those using cannabis for treatment, or those investing in a business, if the delisting was cancelled?"

Mr Anutin said Tom Kruesopon, who founded the Golden Triangle Health, a leading developer and manufacturer of hemp and cannabis in Thailand, will face the music if he has violated any laws.

He was responding to criticism that he has ties to the businessman.

 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2355704/royal-thai-police-baffled-by-pot-memo

[Ch@ppers]

10 minutes ago, hashi said:

 

Would say maybe another Asian country follow  say like the Philippines  

Philippines is backwards compared to LOS, they have only just got duterte Harry out of malacagnang but the killer cops still have the same mentality.