11 October 2023 at 17:45 PUBLISHED
Businesses must make plans in advance, according to Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew, who stated on Wednesday that the Thai Industrial Hemp Trade Association is pressing for clarification on whether hemp and marijuana plants may be re-listed as cocaine.
He spoke after the association’s meeting on Monday to explain the difficulties hemp and hemp traders are currently facing because it is still unclear whether the new administration will reverse the decriminalization of the plants by the previous administration.
The point is not whether the plants are still authorized or are re-listed as cocaine. What matters most to companies is that a firm decision is made. They require a response so they can modify their business ideas appropriately, the minister said.
Members of the association had made investments in cannabis and cannabis-related businesses totaling between 200 and 300 million baht, or tens of billions.
” We’d better get started right away and make a decision about whether or not these plants will be re-listed as narcotics ,” he advised.
Cannabis and cannabis are used for different reasons, so the relationship representatives even questioned whether they should be treated differently by the law, according to Dr. Cholnan.
Cannabis is primarily used for medical care and wellness purposes, whereas cannabis is used in the textile business.
According to the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ), what business owners can do with cannabis for the time being is continue to use the plant in some categories of healthcare products.
Tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ) levels of no more than 0.2 %, which is the minimum requirement for cannabis to be a narcotic, are currently legal, he said.
Businesses had said they wouldn’t mind if the hemp plant’s rose was re-criminalized as a drug as long as an informed decision was made.
The fronds of the plant, which produce the distinctive fragrance and carry the THC and cannabinoids, are abundant in the plant, or flowers.
After both hemp and hemp were decriminalized under the previous administration, a government team is hastening the process of drafting new laws to control their use, according to him.
In the event that marijuana is re-listed as a narcotic, he said, some temporary measures in the current legislation will be put in place to ensure, for example, that the developing of cannabis by communities up until the point at which the provender come into effect will not be criminalized.