Thailand to give 1 million cannabis plants to households for free to grow in own homes

The plant grown must be of medical grade and used for medical purposes only.

Kayla Wong| May 13, 2022, 01:10 PM

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Thailand will be giving away one million cannabis plants to households for free, and people will be able to grow "as many cannabis plants" as they want in their own homes from June 9, The Nation reported.

No official registration is needed to do so.

The plant grown must be of medical grade and used for medical purposes only. This means it must not have THC (the psychoactive compound that gets people "high") content above the legal maximum.

The announcement was made by Thailand's Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in a Facebook post on May 8, which also advocated the benefits of commercial cultivation.

Under the new rules, people could also operate cannabis-related businesses.

"People can showcase their cannabis and hemp-related products and wisdom, and sell their products nationwide," Anutin said.

While small businesses do not have to register with the Food and Drug Administration, large businesses must get permission to operate beforehand.

Anutin, who has led the country's drive to decriminalise cannabis, signed a ministerial announcement on Feb. 8 that officially dropped cannabis and hemp from the list of narcotics, Thai PBS World reported.

Recreational use, as well as extracts of cannabis that contain more THC than o.2 per cent by weight, will remain banned, however.

Top image adapted via Anutin Charnvirakul/Facebook