Could fully legal marijuana in Thailand be next after medical marijuana approval? Advocates push home growing

With Thai king’s recent decree bringing Asia’s first medical marijuana law into force, advocates for the drug see it becoming a new cash crop for export

Full legalisation of marijuana is a manifesto pledge of one of the political parties contesting the country’s upcoming general election

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Marijuana growing in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where its medical use has been approved. Advocates for the drug are pushing for its full legalisation and see it becoming a cash crop, possibly for export.

Published: 12:48pm, 25 Feb 2019Updated: 10:49am, 28 Feb 2019

It was a public declaration basically without precedent in Asia. Few politicians, and certainly none who are running for prime minister, ever had the audacity to say what Anutin Charnvirakul did.

“Marijuana is not a drug that should be illegal – it’s that simple,” claimed Anutin, the man who is leading Thailand’s Bhumjaithai party into the country’s much awaited general election on March 24.

Speaking in front of a full house of both domestic and international journalists at The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT), Anutin continued: “Unlike alcohol and cigarettes, marijuana has great health benefits such as treating cancer, Alzheimer’s and insomnia.”

The Bhumjaithai party has made full legalisation of the drug a core campaign policy, going so far as incorporating cannabis leaves into its signage all over Bangkok.

Anutin Charnvirakul, head of the Bhumjaithai party, whose manifesto for next month’s general election in Thailand includes fully legalising marijuana. Photo: Bangkok Post/Tawatchai Kemgumnerd

Anutin was also adamant that Bhumjaithai will not join a ruling coalition that does not favour full legalisation of cannabis. “My party announced clearly that we will not play any political games with marijuana,” he said.