One million free cannabis plants handed out from next month: Anutin
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul plans to offer 1 million cannabis plants for free when household cultivation and use of the plant is legalised in June.
From June 9, people in Thailand will be able to grow “as many cannabis plants” as they like in their own homes, according to Anutin.
The cannabis grown must be of medical grade and used for medicinal purposes only. Official registration is not required for growing weed at home.
Anutin announced the move on Sunday, in a Facebook post that also outlined the separate benefits of commercial cultivation.
It is currently legal in Thailand for registered companies to sell cannabis products with less than 0.2 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana that gets people “high”.
Anutin explained that people could also operate cannabis-related businesses and enterprises under the new rules.
"This will enable people and the government to generate more than 10 billion baht [per year] in revenue from marijuana and hemp," he said.
"Meanwhile, people can showcase their cannabis and hemp-related products and wisdom and sell their products nationwide."
He added that entrepreneurs and businesses could compete freely in Thailand’s cannabis market as there would be no concessions.
Small sellers of marijuana-related products do not need to register with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
However, large marijuana-related businesses must request permission to operate from the FDA, he added.
Local cannabis advocates have expressed hope that easing marijuana laws could boost economic recovery after the Covid-19 crisis. Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise medical marijuana in 2018.