Thailand has officially legalized marijuana, making it the first Asian country to do so. Regulators approved the decriminalization of marijuana but left details of its status as a recreational drug.
Thailand Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced Tuesday that the Narcotics Control Board has now dropped marijuana from its list of controlled drugs. The country's Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the delisting, which will then take effect 120 days after the publication of the decision in a local newspaper.
The delisting from the Narcotics Control Board's controlled drugs list comes a month after cannabis was also removed from the list of illegal drugs under the nation's Narcotics Law. Cannabis is the plant species where marijuana and hemp are processed from.
It was unclear whether marijuana possession would no longer be a crime punishable by arrest. For the time being, a complexity of associated regulations means that marijuana manufacturing and possession are controlled, leaving the legal status of recreational marijuana usage in limbo.
Parts of the cannabis plant that contain more than 0.2% by weight of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive element that gives users a high, remain on the Health Ministry's list of prohibited narcotics.
Thailand became the first Asian country to decriminalize marijuana production and medical in 2020. The majority of the cannabis plant was removed from the "Category 5" list of banned substances, but seeds and buds, which are connected with recreational use, were kept on the list. The FDA is currently implementing a proposal that eliminates all elements of the plant from the list.
The Minister of Health has been a key force behind the decriminalization of marijuana. Its minister is the leader of the Bhumjai Thai Party, a prominent partner in the country's coalition government. Anutin has pushed for the legalization of marijuana production to help farmers in the 2019 general election. He previously said that legalizing the plant could promote a successful new industry, which would benefit the country's economy.
Last week, Anutin said the ministry is working with the FDA to delist cannabis as soon as possible as a response to the government's policy in developing a new industry to create new sources of income for the public. Anutin's party is currently creating a new proposal, a draft for a new bill called the Cannabis Act, which will be presented to Parliament. Anutin said the bill should provide more details about the legalization and clarify the legality of marijuana use in Thailand.
