The government of Thailand has announced that it is giving away 1 million free cannabis plants to households across the country to mark a new rule that will allow individuals to cultivate their own cannabis.
However, the plants will only be able to be grown after individuals notify the local government and if the crop is used for medical purposes only.
The announcement was made by Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to mark the new law that comes in place on June 9th that legalises cannabis growing as long as it is done so for exclusively medical purposes. Households will not be allowed to sell their crops for financial gain or for recreational use. Around 1 in 3 Thais work in the agricultural sector.
Last year the government decriminalised CBD products, which are made from cannabis, and companies have so far cashed in on the growing trend. CBD is said to assist with a number of issues such anxiety, though many of the products are sold for novelty purposes and are not backed by scientific research.
The new law will also allow Thais to sell cannabis related products as long as they contained less than 0.2 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the chemical within cannabis that produces the narcotic effect on users.
The Health Minister said in a statement:
"This will enable people and the government to generate more than 10 billion baht per year in revenue from marijuana and hemp."
While Kitty Chopaka, a Bangkok-based cannabis entrepreneur, told CNN:
"It will still be considered criminal if you don't have a legal prescription and you have to be a patient of some form of ailment for this to work. Only then will you be able to grow cannabis at home and use it however you like."
"Smoking weed will happen, and there's no way the [government] can stop that."
Many countries across the world have greater slackened their laws surrounding cannabis growing, selling and consumption within recent years, including Canada, where the drug is completely legal for recreational use.
[Based on reporting by: CNN]
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