Towards the end of July 2021, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) issued a notification under the Food Act regarding food products which contain cannabis or hemp parts as a publication in the country’s Government Gazette. The notification, among other things, sets forth the classification of food products containing cannabis or hemp parts (“Food Products”) and the related requirements with respect to food quality, standards and labeling requirements.The key elements of this notification are as follows: The Food Products shall…
Over the past few months, Thailand and its Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) have taken strides to deregulate certain cannabis and hemp plants. These actions have the potential to change the future of the cannabis and hemp industry in Thailand, in ways that are set out in further detail below. I. Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health Notification Exempts Certain Parts and Extracts of Cannabis and Hemp Plants from Regulated Narcotics On 14 December 2020, the MOPH published a notification regarding…
By way of background, “hemp,” as regulated under the Narcotics Act, is currently defined as having tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in leaves and flowers not exceeding 1% per dry weight. Certified hemp seeds are seeds of hemp that has THC in leaves and flowers not exceeding 1% per dry weight. On 28 January 2020 the Cabinet approved the principles of the draft Ministerial Regulation re: Licensing and Approval for the Production, Distribution or Possession of Narcotics Category V Hemp (the “Ministerial Regulation”)…
Although it may appear that the progress of cannabis liberalization may not seem to move as fast as most investors expect, from the experience of seeing the changes or drafting of the new laws which give significant impact to the industry or the public, we can say that the progress we have seen so far as from the time when this government came on board on 10 July 2019 has been quite impressive. Cannabis and hemp of certain qualities and…
The term cannabis has been in the spotlight recently not only in Thailand but also around the world as there have been many recent developments regarding medical and recreational cannabis that are worth noting and have spurred investments in many parts of the world, notably North America and some parts of Europe. For Thailand, with the recent legalization of medical cannabis, the topic is still a new one as regulations are still shaping up. However, it cannot be denied that…
Thailand’s legalization of cannabis for medical purposes continues to move forward. On 28 May 2019, the Thai Cabinet approved the draft Ministerial Regulation regarding Approval for the Manufacture, Import, Export, Sale, or Possession of Cannabis proposed by the Ministry of Public Health. Some of the key elements of the draft are: Definitions of the terms “Cannabis”; “Licensee”; and “Government agencies”.Categorization of seven types of objectives related to the manufacture, import, or export of cannabis: administration of cannabis for medical use…
Across the world, countries are revisiting their laws on the use of cannabis. For some countries, such as Canada and Uruguay, the legalization of the use of cannabis extends to non-medical purposes, including recreational use. For a number of other countries, such legalization has been limited to medical use only. The move to legalize cannabis for non-medical purposes is a direction being debated in light of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended by the 1972 Protocol, which…