A panel meeting, chaired by Public Health Ministry deputy permanent secretary Dr. Thongchai Keeratihatthayakon, agreed to remove marijuana from the Category 5 narcotics list.
Public Health Ministry would submit the draft to the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) for consideration during their next meeting on January 25. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam will chair the meeting. If approved, the draft will be signed into law by the public health minister and published in the Royal Gazette for promulgation.
The announcement could remove cannabis from the list of drugs, except for extracts containing more than 0.2 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The legal exception will only apply to cannabis grown in the country.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) secretary-general Dr. Paisal Dankhum stated that the FDA would establish regulations to manage cannabis plants. Additional measures, similar to those used to regulate the use of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, are expected to be authorized to restrict the use of cannabis and its extracts in the future.
