New bill outlines limits on ganja use

Rules on bud ready for second reading through

A house in Bangkok's Bang Kapi district where suspects planted 77 marijuana plants was located after their arrest in July last year. (Police photo)
A house in Bangkok’s Bang Kapi district where suspects planted 77 marijuana vegetation was located after their arrest within July last year. (Police photo)

People will be allowed to grow no more than 15 cannabis plants with regard to household use while selling and marketing cannabis and cannabis-based products online and in vending machines will be prohibited, according to a bill on cannabis and hemp use.

Parnthep Pourpongpan, spokesman of a Home committee scrutinising the particular bill, on Thurs revealed some more key details of the particular bill which will quickly go before parliament for a second reading through.

Mister Parnthep said Area 18 of the costs stipulates that those who wish to grow cannabis vegetation for household use will be allowed to grow no more than 15 plant life per household. They can register within one day without paying any sign up fees.

People would become allowed to grow no more than five rai of hemp plants for each household for household use.

Other groups which will also be allowed to register for growing the vegetation include hospitals, medical practitioners, dental practitioners, Thai traditional medicine practitioners, used Thai traditional medication practitioners, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, state firms, the Thai Red Cross Society, and animal hospitals, Mister Parnthep said.

They can make medicines from the plant life for patients without having seeking permission, he said.

As for business plus commercial purposes, Area 15 stipulates those who grow, process, and extract the plants for sale should seek permission from authorities. For small-scale business operators which grow no more than 5 rai of cannabis, if they fail to seek permission, they would end up being liable to a prison term of a maximum of one year and/or an excellent of up to 100, 500 baht. For considerable operators who develop more than 5 rai, if they fail to look for permission, they would face a jail term of no more than three years and/or a fine as high as 300, 000 baht.

Those who export cannabis without having permission would face a jail phrase of up to five years and/or a fine of up to 500, 000 baht, Mr Parnthep stated.

Those who want to grow cannabis for commercial purposes must be Thai nationals aged at least 20 years while legal entities that want to grow marijuana for commercial purposes must be owned plus operated by Thais, he said.

He further said that Section 28 of the bill forbids online advertising for the sale for cannabis flowering buds, cannabis hashish, cannabis extracts and tools used for smoking marijuana. Violators would be prone to a jail term of no more than 12 months and/or a fine of up to 100, 000 baht. The bill furthermore bans exaggeration or false advertising associated with other parts of the cannabis plant used because herbs, and violators would face the jail term associated with no more than one year and/or a fine of no more than 100, 000 baht, Mr Parnthep stated.

Area 37 also bans the sale of cannabis and hemp, their extracts and food with cannabis and hemp as ingredients to people aged beneath 20, pregnant women, plus women who breastfeed children. Violators might face a prison term of up to one year and/or a fine as high as 100, 000 baht.

Section 37/1 also bans the sale of cannabis and hemp, their own extracts and meals with cannabis plus hemp as elements online and in snack machines while marketing and marketing campaigns are also prohibited, he said.

Under the bill, the particular sale of cannabis would be prohibited in wats or temples, religious premises, educational institutions and educational institutes, dormitories, public parks and other premises declared by the Public Wellness Minister, Mr Parnthep said.

The bill furthermore declares certain premises off-limits to cannabis smoking, including temples or wats, public parks plus restaurants.