Tomorrow, over 3,000 ‘cannabis criminals’ will be released from Thai prisons

Starting tomorrow, Thailand will allow home production of cannabis and hemp, with public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul promising to distribute one million free cannabis plants. Farmers do not require permission to grow cannabis; instead, they must download the ‘Plook Ganja’ mobile app. 3,071 people who were imprisoned in Thailand for cannabis-related drug offenses will be released tomorrow. The detainees will be released on June 9, when cannabis will no longer be classified as a Category 5 narcotic, according to Thailand’s Justice Minister, Somsak Thepsuthin. Extracts containing higher than 0.2 percent THC, on the other hand, will remain a Category 5 narcotic.

Meanwhile, the cannabis sector in the United States is growing, with the plant now legal in 19 states. However, an estimated 40,000 people are currently incarcerated in the United States for non-violent marijuana-related offenses. Thailand’s government discourages recreational usage of the plant, despite the fact that it is no longer prohibited. Cannabis smoke is now classified as a “public nuisance” under new regulations. If the smell of marijuana smoking disturbs someone, they can denounce the offender, who might face up to three months in prison if found guilty.

Thailand has sentenced 4,075 people to prison for marijuana-related offenses. A total of 3,071 of them will be released tomorrow, all of whom were convicted of marijuana-related offenses. According to the authorities, everybody currently on trial for marijuana-related offenses will be dismissed as well. The remaining 1,004 were convicted of marijuana-related and other offenses, according to Somsak, and their sentences would be reduced as a result. As of tomorrow, all parts of marijuana plants will be delisted as narcotics, including the THC-rich flowers, making marijuana possession legal in Thailand.