PUBLIC Health Minister Somsak Theopsuthin today (June 24) signed an announcement to control distribution of cannabis ensuring it is no longer freely available and emphasizing “medical use only”, Amarin TV said this evening.
The key point of the announcement is cancelling the ministry’s announcement issued in 2022 and now making cannabis, specifically the flowers/buds, a controlled herb.
If anyone wants to study, research, export, sell, or process it, they must obtain a licence under Section 46 of the law and must comply with the conditions, such as reporting data as specified by the Director-General.
Those who want to sell cannabis must have a licence to do so as stated under Section 46 of the law and the product must come from farms with good cultivation and harvesting standards as certified by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine.
In addition, it is prohibited to sell cannabis in business premises, except to medical professionals. It is also prohibited to sell and process for trade via vending machines or through electronic channels as well as selling it at various other places such as temples, dormitories, public parks, zoos and amusement parks.
Somsak had earlier said that the action he is taking on cannabis is definitely not related to the Bhumjaithai Party having pulled out of the Pheu Thai-led coalition government.
This party had successfully pushed through a legislation to decriminalise marijuana on June 9, 2022. Since then possessing and using all parts of cannabis plants, including flowers and seeds, are now allowed. However, extracted content remains illegal if it contains more than 0.2% of the psychoactive ingredient that produces a “high” — tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a cannabinoid found in cannabis.
Cannabis flowers, also known as “buds,” contain the cannabinoids and terpenes that get you high or offer health benefits. Flowers only grow on female cannabis plants and must be dried before consumption, according to Leafly.com
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Image of today’s announcement next to a cannabis leaf with a forbidden mark on it. Credit: Amarin TV
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