BANGKOK — Thailand has become the first country in Asia to legalize marijuana. The health authority on Thursday excluded cannabis from a list of narcotics, giving people a way to cultivate and use the herb at home.
Some pro-cannabis supporters say Thailand will become a “marijuana wonderland,” but in actuality, cannabis can only be grown and consumed for medical purposes, and those who smoke it in public face heavy penalties.
Nikkei Asia explains what has changed and what remains illegal. But let’s start slowly.
What is marijuana?
The word usually refers to the flower buds or dried leaves of the cannabis plant. Among the plant’s hundreds of chemicals is tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient that produces the high that marijuana users chase.
Some 50 countries allow patients to use prescription medical marijuana — the plant manages chronic pain in older adults, can help some insomniacs sleep and relieves the vomiting and nausea cancer patients come down with after undergoing chemotherapy — but only Canada and Uruguay allow it to be used for fun.
Using marijuana may cause brain and other disorders. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recent research estimates that “approximately 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have marijuana use disorder,” a kind of dependency.
A woman takes a drop of the cannabis-based medication DTAM. Thailand began allowing people to use marijuana for health purposes in 2019.
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