Thailand providing free cannabis plants for home cultivation

Thailand’s public health minister says the government will distribute 1 million cannabis plants free when most legal restrictions on production and possession of the drug are lifted next month

BANGKOK -- Thailand’s public health minister, who has spearheaded the country’s drive to decriminalize cannabis, says the government will distribute 1 million of the plants free when most legal restrictions on production and possession of the drug are lifted next month.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed a measure in February officially dropping cannabis, best known in the form of marijuana, from a list of controlled drugs. Closely regulated use of cannabis was legalized in 2018, with several restrictions gradually eased since then.

Thai officials hope that a major new cannabis industry will blossom, not only generating hundreds of millions of dollars directly each year, but also attracting foreign tourists, who have only recently begun returning in large numbers after being largely absent during the coronavirus pandemic.

When the measure becomes effective on June 9, possessing and using all parts of cannabis plants, including flowers and seeds, will be allowed. However, extracted content will remain illegal if it contains more than 0.2% of the psychoactive ingredient that produces a “high” — tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.