Thailand giving away one million marijuana plants to develop as cash crop

A day after decriminalising marijuana growth for commercial purposes Thailand plans to give away 1 million free cannabis plants on Friday but discouraged people from getting high as that is still against the law.

Thailand legalised medicinal marijuana in 2018 for medical use but is now banking on developing it as a cash crop and building a lucrative local industry.

"Don't use it and sit smiling at home and not get any work done. Those things are not our policies," Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at the launch in northeastern Buriram province, where the first 1,000 plants were being distributed.

"We have erased the stigma, it's being washed away like removing a tattoo. Don't let it come back," he said, adding that cannabis should be used to improve health.

On Thursday, cannabis was de-listed from the country's narcotics list, allowing people to grow the plant if they register on a government app.

Authorities are however discouraging its recreational use, while smoking in public could lead to prison and fines.
The psychoactive compound in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, is limited to 0.2% in cannabis extracts and products that can be sold in Thailand, which includes oils and candy.

Growing cannabis at home requires registration with the government's smartphone application, PlookGanja or "grow ganja".Anutin said more than 300,000 people had registered with the app, which had millions of downloads from people wanting to learn more about cannabis.

According to Thailand's corrections department, 3,000 people have been freed from prison after being held for cannabis-related crimes since the law changed this week.

[with inputs from agencies]

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