Legalised cannabis: Thailand becomes first Asian country to legalise growing of the drug and its consumption in food and drinks.
The aim behind legalising in Thailand is boosting its agriculture and tourism sectors – but smoking it recreationally is still against the law.
The public health minister is planning to distribute 1 million cannabis seedlings. With the aim to encourage farmers to take up its cultivation.
However, Thailand’s government has said it is promoting drugs for medical use only. Warning those eager to light up for fun that smoking in public could still be considered a nuisance, subject to a potential three-month sentence and 25,000 Thai baht ($780) fine.
Cannabis growers have to register on a government app called PlookGanja (Grow Ganja).
Nearly 100,000 people have signed up to the app, said health ministry official Paisan Dankhum.