Thailand: rethinking cannabis

By Bangkok Post

In a progressive move, the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine plans to have local cannabis strains registered as a national heritage item before seeking Unesco recognition.

The department has gathered over 30 local strains and recorded the DNA of each one to make a database of the strains grown here with the information to be used to register geographical indications.

The move, if successful, will help de-stigmatise the plant, a traditional herb, away from being an illicit drug under the original anti-narcotics law.

Mr Anutin has also set up a panel comprising experts from various fields to find ways to put the policy into practice. Cannabis legalisation was a flagship policy of Mr Anutin's Bhumjaithai Party during the 2019 election campaign which will allow each household to grow a maximum of six cannabis plants.