Thailand’s Ministry of Health has released a guide titled ’10 Things Tourists Should Know About Cannabis in Thailand’ to improve visitors’ understanding of what they can and cannot do with cannabis in the country. .
Thailand is the first Asian country to have decriminalized cannabis by removing cannabis from the list of narcotics even before real regulation was considered. There followed a rush to open shops – more than 2,500 today – and recreational use that is not always controlled.
Thai lawmakers are currently discussing a bill to regulate the consumption and sale of cannabis. However, it is not certain that it will be adopted before the House is dissolved later this year, prior to new elections.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul insisted that the aim of decriminalization is to promote the medical use of cannabis and create economic opportunities for the local population. Foreigners who want to travel to Thailand just to “get high” should think twice, he said.
In the current legal vacuum, hundreds of cannabis dispensaries – recreational or not – have proliferated and are well documented on websites such as Highthailand or Weed.in.th
The Ministry of Health, however, wants to make sure that tourists are clear about what Thai law allows for cannabis. It has asked provincial tourist offices to distribute an English guide to visitors and plans to make it available in other languages, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Russian.
The guide can also be downloaded here.
The 10 things tourists should know are:
- It is prohibited to transport cannabis seeds or parts of cannabis plants to and from Thailand for personal use.
- Cannabis cultivation is legal, but you must register on the Plook Ganja application of the Food and Drug Administration or on a government website
- The use of cannabis flowers for research, export and sale, as well as their processing for commercial purposes, requires an official license
- Persons under the age of 20, pregnant women and breastfeeding women cannot consume cannabis, except under the supervision of health professionals
- Possession of extracts containing more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and synthetic THC is subject to authorization
- Cannabis-containing dishes are available in licensed restaurants
- Approved cannabis health products are accessible through specific channels
- Smoking cannabis in public spaces, including schools and malls, is illegal
- Avoid driving after consuming food or health products containing cannabis
- People who experience serious adverse health effects after consuming cannabis should seek prompt medical attention for treatment.
