The policy proved a handy vote winner – Mr Anutin's party Bhumjaithai became the second biggest in the ruling coalition. Thailand's public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul harnessed popular support for cannabis decriminalisation for political advantage in the last election. ![]() Government-controlled medicinal cannabis had already been legal for four years, but at the last election in 2019 his party's signature policy was that people could grow and use the plant at home as medicine.įor farmers, it would be a new cash crop. It was the current public health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, who changed the game by promising to put the plant back in the hands of the people. ![]() Thailand's astonishing 180-degree turn on cannabis is, after all, fundamentally political. It was an entirely different mood on their release – the media waited outside jails to capture happy family reunions and politicians were there offering congratulations while trying to shore up votes for next year's elections. "It feels like winning the lottery, better than the first prize in the lottery," Mr Tossapon says.Īt the time of their arrest, police officers had paraded them in front of the media and posed for photographs with the large haul they had seized. ( Foreign Correspondent: Craig Hansen ACS) Months later, they were released when it was decriminalised. Tossapon Martmuang and Peerapat Sajjabanyongkij were jailed for transporting 355 kilograms of cannabis. Tossapon Martmuang and Peerapat Sajjabanyongkij were serving a seven-and-a-half-year jail sentence for transporting 355 kilograms of "brick weed" in northern Thailand.īut when the law changed four months into their incarceration, they were let out. It was an unbelievable turnaround for a nation known for its aggressive zero tolerance policy. ![]() When it was decriminalised in June, more than 3,000 inmates were released from jail and their cannabis-related criminal records were deleted. They weren't golden days for everyone – Beer avoided jail but thousands caught with cannabis were locked up in Thailand's notoriously crowded prisons.įor centuries, "ganja" used to grow wild in Thailand and was used in traditional medicine.īut in the 1970s, as the US embarked on its global "war on drugs", Thailand classified cannabis as a "Class 5" narcotic and imposed hefty fines and jail terms. When Foreign Correspondent visits his shop there is a steady stream of customers wanting different strengths, flavours and varieties.īeer's shop sells a variety of dried cannabis flowers in different strengths and flavours, with sommelier-like customer service to help buyers make a selection. ![]() Soranut Masayavanich, or "Beer" as he is known, was an underground grower and dealer, but opened a licensed dispensary in the city's Sukhumvit area on the day the law changed. Popular night-life strips like the famous Khao San Road now have cannabis shops of all shapes and sizes. In the meantime, in some parts of Bangkok, a distinct smell wafts through the air and it seems easier to get a joint than a Pad Thai. She has been advising the parliamentary committee drafting the new law, which has been delayed as stakeholders and politicians debate its scope. "I never thought that Thailand would let something be delisted before they put in rules for it, but then again, Thai politics surprises me all the time," Ms Chopaka says. ( Foreign Correspondent: Craig Hansen ACS) Kitty Chopaka now sells real cannabis alongside cannabis flavoured lollies in her shop on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok.
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