On the 6th of March 2021, the province of Buri Ram in the North-Eastern area of Thailand hosted the “360 Cannabis & Hemp for the people” trade fair. The demand for the medicinal plant has been growing all over the country since the new legislation was put in place by the government allowing the use of hemp in food and cosmetics.
The aim of this fair was to promote companies from Thailand currently offering hemp products in the country as well as educate potential and regular customers on the use of the plant. Visitors have had the pleasure to try out different types of products, among those, traditional noodles, ice creams and beverages made out of hemp. Yummy!
Withid Sardeechaiko, the Deputy responsible for Health in the province of Buri Ram is confident that hemp, also known as ganja in Thai language, will not only improve the quality of life of the citizens of Thailand but also help the country to reflorish economically, particularly after the massive hit it received from the global COVID19 pandemic.
Marijuana has become the “green gold” of this mostly Buddhist country which is currently planning to purchase a 12% CBD cannabis for 45,000 bahts a kilo (about 1,250 euros). The government has made it easier for local communities to create their hemp business, allowing farms to cultivate hemp for medical purposes everywhere in the country, as long as it employs a minimum of 7 people and teams up with a provincial hospital or similar health institution ; a legislation that will definitely foster employment opportunities for the Thai population.
Thailand has had a passionate and tumultuous relationship with the green lady. Initially, the plant was used for millennia in traditional medical treatments, most particularly to help relieve muscle pain and chronic tiredness, that, until about a century ago, when the government prohibited the use of cannabis in the whole country and made marijuana its new enemy. In 2017, Thailand legalized again the use of medical cannabis.
Following those legislations, local restaurants jumped on the opportunity to attract new customers by offering traditional however innovative recipes made out of hemp. So next time you’ll fill your belly up with traditional delicious food at Chiang Mai’s Sunday Night Walking Street, you might as well try out a ganja beef noodle soup. Happy bellies guaranteed!
