In December 2018, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize cannabis for research and medicinal use. Now, plants are finally being cultivated at the government-owned and operated Royal Agriculture Pangda in Samoeng, an agricultural region within the Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand.
While this marks tremendous progress in the region, recreational possession, and usage of cannabis remains illegal and banned in Thailand. “We will make the public understand that it’s for medical purposes only, not for recreation,” said Niyom Termsrisuk, the Secretary-General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board of Thailand.
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Now, countries like the Philippines and Malaysia are considering initiatives to legalize medicinal marijuana, possibly marking a major turning point in Southeast Asia’s long-standing war on weed.
This post originally appeared on Daily Marijuana Observer.
