Cannabis flower trade to be reined in - but no chance for marijuana to go back on narcotics list

[webfact]

Picture: INN

 

Deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam spoke to the press yesterday after presiding over a meeting with heads of the Narcotics Control Board.

 

Wissanu said that the issue of marijuana being put back on the Class 5 narcotics list wasn't even discussed.

 

Such a matter is not their brief and it was clear this is not going to happen.

 

What is going to happen is that after an official announcement today in the Government Gazette the issue of what to do about marijuana flowers is being addressed, reported INN.

 

New rules will mean that this part of the plant that contains by far the major amount of THF will be considered a controlled herb.

 

From Thursday buds will be controlled herbs.

 

What this means for the recreational marijuana industry in Thailand remains to be seen. Such an industry undoubtedly already exists.

 

Wissanu was swift to point out that the trade in the flowers was something of a loophole that the Cannabis Act next year would address but needs to be tackled now.

 

He stresses that other parts of the marijuana plant like roots, leaves and stems are all 0.2% THC or less so can be grown freely.

 

File photo: Wikipedia

 

He said that the meeting with the NCB was held after new rules were proposed by the MoPH in relation to the flowers being declared a controlled herb. 

 

The meeting lasted 3 hours. 

 

ASEAN NOW notes that the latest moves can be seen as making life more awkward for people wishing to trade in marijuana flowers.

 

Some have seen this as overt acceptance on the streets of recreational use of marijuana, something politicians were keen to keep under wraps.

 

Until the genie came out of the bottle on June 9th.

 

The rampant sale of flowers on the streets that has grown ever more prevalent since decriminalization in June has forced the hand of politicians.

 

However it is unlikely to change much and might be seen more as a typical Thai process of compromise on a thorny issue.

 

A kind of washing of dirty laundry in public until you come up with a nice clean pair of Thai made socks.

 

Critics have said that Thailand's marijuana policy was ill thought through which has resulted in these interim teething issues.

 

A lot is at stake. Big players whose interests will be protected have invested fortunes while many have invested in smaller scale start-ups such as shops and will want to continue trading in flowers to maximise profits.

 

Further clarity will come with the Cannabis Act due next year though that is unlikely to have many surprises.

 

Cannabis is set to stay legal and available in Thailand - though watch this space as to what you can and can't do with weed. And watch out for how the RTP interpret the law. 

 

The two have been shown to be divergent in the past. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-11-23

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

 

Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

[bamnutsak]

Seems reasonable, although we have to see the impacts.

 

"Controlled Herbs" is definitely a new "category".

 

 

Saw some comments on Thai social media regarding a "Cannabis Card" allowing one to purchase flower at certified outlets. That seems like it introduces too much control?

 

 

[bobbin]

"Controlled" is a word with unspecified meaning..  It is definitely a complete free-for-all right now.

 

The Thai Government needs to become a beneficiary of Cannabis legalization. By this I mean that they have to have enough control to ensure that VAT/GST is collected on sales of cannabis flowers. This will create a revenue stream for the Government. Even better would be that this revenue is ring-fenced, so that it is directed toward specific goals. More rehab facilities for methamphetamine users, alcohol abuse etc. Perhaps also more fund for general education. Most jurisdictions which have legalized Cannabis have some version of this policy.

 

The money in this business is in the flowers. Nobody will be buying leaves and stems..

Edited November 23, 2022 by bobbin

[daveAustin]

How’s about this: leave buds unrestricted as is, but ban edibles and extracts where THC levels are not known (where often unsuspecting folk can get caught out)?

[tomacht8]

"From Thursday buds will be controlled herbs."

"Further clarity will come with the Cannabis Act due next year."

 

What exactly does this mean for producers, retailers and consumers?

No idea.

[bobbin]

No buds, no money.

 

Follow the money..

[bamnutsak]

43 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

How’s about this: leave buds unrestricted as is, but ban edibles and extracts where THC levels are not known (where often unsuspecting folk can get caught out)?

I think that this remains the current "law of the land"?

 

Edibles and extracts over 0.2% THC are illegal.

 

Basically anything with more than 0.2% content by weight, other than FLOWER, is ILLEGAL.

 

 

 

 

 

[redwood1]

2 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

I think that this remains the current "law of the land"?

 

Edibles and extracts over 0.2% THC are illegal.

 

Basically anything with more than 0.2% content by weight, other than FLOWER, is ILLEGAL.

 

 

 

 

 

0.2% is almost zero.....I bet plenty of the leaves on a plant have more than 0.2% Thc.....I think only the stalks have less than 0.2% Thc.....

 

Determine Thc levels is a wildly inexact science...

 

The only solution is to make the plant 100% legal or 100% illegal...

[Geoffggi]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

New rules will mean that this part of the plant that contains by far the major amount of THF will be considered a controlled herb.

So if it does not contain THF (what ever this is) it's ok ? ..........LOL

[klauskunkel]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Wissanu was swift to point out that the trade in the flowers was something of a loophole that the Cannabis Act next year would address but needs to be tackled now.

Look here child, let me point out to you as swiftly, that if you had investigated the ramifications of legalizing cannabis properly instead of rushing the process you would have less of a need to fix this and address that - and as an added bonus all you politicians and lawmakers would look less like numpties...

But since you all are numpties this concept is just way over your head.

[stoner]

morons.

[Geoffggi]

How about grabbing the bull by the horns and working through this, it is plainly obvious that it could be big business for Thailand and the interest is plain to see so why not regulate the sales by ID requirements, so not selling to under age people and make testing for drugs part of  police spot checks as with alcohol which takes care of DUI. Everyone knows that violence is not part of cannabis culture unlike methamphetamines so it could be a win win situation. 

[Dogmatix]

Wissanu is a politician. He looked for an opportunity to be seen to be doing something in view of the backlash from conservatives and the derailing of the Cannabis Bill by coalition MPs from the Democrat party in pursuit of their own political aimes. So, as deputy PM, he jumped in to chair a meeting of the ONCB which is under the Justice minster who stressed before the meeting that nothing will change as a result of the meeting and it didn't.

 

Wissanu has announced that cannabis will become a controlled herb which is nothing to do with him but is according to the Health Ministry regulation signed by Anutin already.  This means no sales from vans, no smoking lounges, no online sales or advertising. We already knew that but Wissanu is trying to take credit for something already done by Anutin who was desperate to stave off attacks on his policy after his colleaagues in the coalition voted down his Cannabis Bill.  

 

Anutin doesn't really want more restrictions or medical only, like he says,  but he needs a solution that will satisfy conservatves and head off the pressure for recriminalisation that would be a disaster for him and his supporters with huge investments in the industry.

[RandolphGB]

Sukhumvit Road has become even more of a s***hole, if ever that was possible, thanks to all the cannabis trucks and shops. 

[Real Name Hidden]

The scent of cannibis  relieves the stench of lower Sukhumvit. 

[samuttodd]

Wissanu Krea-ngam  said that what they plan to do is regulate it like alcohol.

 

Sales will only be allowed from 11:30- 2:30   and from 5pm- midnight.  

 

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by samuttodd

[bamnutsak]

1 hour ago, redwood1 said:

The only solution is to make the plant 100% legal or 100% illegal...

The "plant" is 100% legal.

 

Flower is now a "controlled herb". I'm not sure there are any other "controlled herbs", so this is new ground? Some "controls" are defined now, more will be either with edicts or legislation or both.

 

Extracts of the plant (flower, obviously) greater than 0.2 % THC are illegal. That includes shatter, budder, crumble, (vape) oil, hash (possibly), live resin, wax, distillate, isolate, crystalline, terp sap, RSO. Many of these variants are sold here, imported, although there are some home-made vape oil carts.

 

[bamnutsak]

3 minutes ago, samuttodd said:

Wissanu Krea-ngam  said that what they plan to do is regulate it like alcohol.

 

Sales will be allowed from 11:30- 2:30   and from 5pm- midnight.  

 

 

I think that he meant more than sales hours, but I could be wrong. Production checks, licensing, age verification systems, tax. But I do not infer that cannabis will be regulated EXACTLY like alcohol, more like similarly regulated.

 

Assuming those hours are not changed/eliminated  - something mentioned as a legislative possibility - then yes, I could see cannabis shops sales hours being limited. Most don't open much before noon anyway.

 

 

[CLW]

14 minutes ago, samuttodd said:

Wissanu Krea-ngam  said that what they plan to do is regulate it like alcohol.

 

Sales will only be allowed from 11:30- 2:30   and from 5pm- midnight.  

 

 

Oh please, not more of this nonsense. That alcohol sales rule should have been removed since years but no politician or party has the balls to tackle it. Anyone who thinks this reduces alcohol sales or even hindering alcoholics from getting their stuff is an absolute dreamer.

Every (literally every) foreigner that comes here just rolls his eyes about this stupid and obsolete law

[Adumbration]

LOL.  You see the outcome is EXACTLY as I predicted in another thread.  This is not by accident.  It is unfolding entirely as planned.

 

Too many people with to much vested capital to walk away from their pot shops and other cannabis businesses.

 

Now the new "grey" category has been introduced so it can be interpreted however the RTP want.

 

Rivers of tea money to follow.

 

It is always about money here in Thailand.

 

Always.

[jvs]

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

How about grabbing the bull by the horns and working through this, it is plainly obvious that it could be big business for Thailand and the interest is plain to see so why not regulate the sales by ID requirements, so not selling to under age people and make testing for drugs part of  police spot checks as with alcohol which takes care of DUI. Everyone knows that violence is not part of cannabis culture unlike methamphetamines so it could be a win win situation. 

Testing for Cannabis use is not so simple,it can be detected on your

breath for up to 3 hours and it stays a lot longer in the blood.

Being able to detect it does not really give an indication whether the user

is unable to drive or not.

[bamnutsak]

2 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

Now the new "grey" category has been introduced so it can be interpreted however the RTP want.

 

Rivers of tea money to follow.

What is this "new grey catgeory"?

 

The Police have been instructed to maintain a hands-off approach to cannabis "enforcement". I've not heard of any slippage on this front, and I think we would have heard about shake-downs.

 

(Yes, I can see the sidewalk police shaking down cannabis carts, but that's not much of a "river".)

 

When Anutin said "Let the law handle it" yesterday, I think he meant passing legislation.

 

 

 

 

[thesetat]

What about all those free seeds and plants to any Thai that wanted to attempt growing it? Each plant will make flower so this would make everyone doing it a criminal as well. I do not see this as being the final decision. Too much of the population has already registered to grow as well os getting 2 free plants anytime they want. 

 

https://www.insider.com/thailand-gives-away-a-million-marijuana-plants-but-says-dont-get-high-2022-6#:~:text=Thailand has legalized the use of cannabis and is giving,condone the drugs recreational use.

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/over-150000-people-in-thailand-register-for-cannabis-planting-as-crop-is-legalised#:~:text=Over 150%2C000 people in Thailand,is legalised | The Straits Times

 

 

 

I do not see how they can criminalize or change the laws after doing this knowing they just gave away over a million reasons to make someone a criminal for following their law. 

[n00dle]

What a non story. Only speculation, no information provided. 

 

The cat will not go back in the bag. Want to control rhe sales? Then issue sales liscences that require strict tax accounting. 

[JimboB4]

Ok my sources who buy from are saying nothing has changed. After the law passes next year worst case scenario we have to buy in person or can still buy online but might have to send a copy of passport. Until then they are saying business as usual. 

[JimboB4]

6 minutes ago, n00dle said:

What a non story. Only speculation, no information provided. 

 

The cat will not go back in the bag. Want to control rhe sales? Then issue sales liscences that require strict tax accounting. 

Because they not changing anything they’re just merely appeasing the opposition. 

[sambum]

"Big players whose interests will be protected......"

 

Like  - I wonder who? ????

Edited November 23, 2022 by sambum

[lesmac]

5 hours ago, daveAustin said:

How’s about this: leave buds unrestricted as is, but ban edibles and extracts where THC levels are not known (where often unsuspecting folk can get caught out)?

Anything processed can be lab tested and a certificate of strength issued

 

[thailand49]

Control!   These guys can't even tie their shoes! ????

[Snig27]

1 hour ago, Dogmatix said:

This means no sales from vans

The ThongLor cops are telling vans that as long as they have a rented space for the van, it’s fine.