BANGKOK – The Buddhist monks of Wat Jantrawas, seated in a circle and passing a small, dark bottle around, were in Thailand’s Phetchaburi Province. They each added a few drops of cannabis oil to their coffee cups as they reflected about their earlier years, when the plant, also known as ganja in Thai, was widely available.
The 71-year-old abbot of the temple claimed that when people interacted in their free time, they did it while high on ganja. He had utilized the plant to improve his cuisine when he was younger, much like MSG.
The monks assert that before Thailand’s drug laws were tightened in 1979, blue collar workers frequently used marijuana after work. Additionally, it served as a creative inspiration for musicians and artists. The proof is visible on the temples close by and the walls of Wat Jantrawas. Murals from the late 1800s, under the reign of King Rama V, show monks, nobles, soldiers, and commoners smoking or medicating with cannabis or utilizing bamboo bongs to do so. It was also exported up to 1914 and transported in sacks emblazoned with the garuda, the royal flag.
The abbot explained, “It wasn’t criminal; it was only medicine.”
Since the government removed marijuana off the list of prohibited narcotics last month, cannabis may once again play a role in Thai culture. However, it’s possible that its neighbors won’t be able to readily reproduce the conditions that led Thailand to decriminalize marijuana first in Asia.
When a populist party leader won a cabinet position managing drug policy three years ago, the campaign got started. Anutin Charnvirakul, the minister of health, said to Nikkei Asia, “When we determined that the policy of cannabis would be put in the campaign program back in 2019, our objective was just to make sure that the farmers would have another alternative of agricultural products.”
His Bhumjaithai Party has 59 seats in the legislature and is in a coalition with Palang Pracharath Party, which is led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Its stronghold is in the underdeveloped northeast of Thailand, where farmers have been adversely affected by the low price of rice.
People frequently label this product as a narcotic, according to Anutin. But when we took a new look, we discovered that it might be a plant that offers farmers another possibility in addition to curing people’s illnesses.
Anutin’s lobbying led the Health Ministry to remove cannabis from a June 9 narcotics list. More than 3,000 inmates with marijuana-related charges were freed on the same day.
Anutin anticipates that the adjustment will open up a new $10 to $15 billion market for Thailand. Up to six plants can now be grown indoors by residents, who can then prepare their own medicines for use on themselves, to sell domestically, or to export. Such goods cannot contain more than 0.2 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive component that gives marijuana its high, in order to be registered with the authorities for sale.
The component of cannabis known as cannabidiol, or CBD, is less strictly regulated. According to the World Health Organization, studies have shown that it is an excellent alternative to opiates for managing chronic pain, epileptic seizures, and cancer patients’ nausea.
Anutin stated to Nikkei Asia, “I use medical cannabis frequently,” noting marijuana-infused creams, shampoos, and patches that are said to aid in sleep. “Depending on how people create their stuff, perhaps. I could not help but dig into my pocket and make a purchase for my personal usage since it appears to be quite professional.”
The potential of underage usage, addiction, and lung and cognitive impairment is brought up by opponents. Following the regulation change, the government hurried to issue warnings against smoking in public places and selling to anybody under the age of 20, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.
However, if marijuana starts to live up to Anutin’s economic predictions, his Bhumjaithai Party may do well in the upcoming general election, which must be called by the end of the year.
According to the farmers, my party is 50 percent more popular in Thailand’s northeast, according to Anutin. “If you inquire as to why they oppose it, they will respond that it is a dangerous policy. I have a specific number of people who can live better.”
The legalization of marijuana is a progressive process, whether it is in Thailand or in the 43 nations and 37 U.S. states that have loosened regulations. In Thailand, decriminalization took place in June after medical legalization in 2018. Anutin emphasized that Thailand will not be a “marijuana wonderland” for international tourists because recreational use of marijuana is still outlawed in the country.
