Thailand decriminalizes cannabis and releases 4,000 inmates convicted of cannabis-related offenses

More than 4,000 inmates accused or convicted of cannabis-related offences will be released today as the law removing cannabis and hemp from the list of narcotics comes into force.

As of today, all parts of cannabis and hemp plants, with the exception of extracts containing more than 0.2 % of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), will no longer appear on the list of narcotics.

The regulation effectively absolves anyone who produced, imported, exported, possessed, sold or consumed cannabis before June 9. They are no longer considered offenders or convicts under the law. People who were serving sentences for cannabis-related offences will thus be released from prison.

Mr. Thawatchai, spokesman for the Department of Corrections, added that suspects held for questioning on cannabis-related charges will also be released and their cases dropped.

People with criminal records who have been convicted of such charges will also have their records removed from the criminal database.

Is cannabis legal in Thailand?

Cannabis is not yet legal in Thailand. Public consumption of cannabis can still lead to arrests and fines, even if this becomes one of the lowest priorities for the Thai police with decriminalization.

The very status of cannabis is still in a legal limbo because, although it is no longer considered a dangerous drug, Thai legislators have yet to pass a law regulating its commercial production and sale.

However, Thais can grow their own plants without fear of arrest or imprisonment. All they have to do is upload the details of their projects to the Ministry of Health website or to an application developed by the Food and Drug Administration.

The next stage in the cannabis regulation process should be the approval of its recreational use, even if it has already been made easier.

Although it may be a few years yet before we take the plunge, with the Thai government concentrating on medical use, advocates of legalization have proposed the creation of several demarcated areas where recreational use would be permitted.

Such a scheme could boost tourism in Thailand, and Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui have been suggested as possible locations.