Relax law on cannabis seeds for better product, Thai advocate says
Marijuana advocate Aram Limsakul on Friday called on the government to relax laws so cannabis growers could collect a variety of stock seeds for genetic development of local strains.
He said Thailand has many experienced cannabis growers, but the law prohibits them from developing parent-stock seeds.
“We want the government to unlock the law and make it easier to make parent-stock seeds. Growers are a major part of the industry. Without good growers and good seeds, you can’t get good products,” Aram said.
He was speaking at the Cannabis Wealth seminar on the topic “Thai cannabis in the world market”, held at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok.
Aram, a founder of the Thai cannabis growers association, also said that it was “against principle” to prohibit cannabis growers from using their product. He added that the law should encourage cannabis growers, not deter them.
“We are founding an association of professional cannabis growers to encourage illegal growers to do it legally. This way we can spread knowledge among the enterprises,” he said.
Following recent amendment of laws, people in Thailand will be allowed to grow “as many cannabis plants” as they like in their own homes from June 9, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
The cannabis grown must be of medical grade and used for medicinal purposes only. Official registration is not required for growing weed at home, but growers are advised to inform authorities so that Thailand can meet the requirements of international treatises.
However, growing cannabis for recreational use is not allowed and smoking marijuana is still prohibited.
It is currently legal in Thailand for registered companies to sell marijuana products which contain less than 0.2 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana that gets people “high”.