The famous Thai Stick
If you have ever been to Thailand, it is highly likely you have come across or been offered or even smoked the famous ‘Thai Stick’
once among the Kingdoms most valued and famous exports,
wrapped tightly with cotton string sometimes red or purple about the length of a ruler,
it was the staple after the 1960s when America came to Thailand and opened Airbases in the region.
Which put thousands of troops there, and this is when Thailand’s involvement with Cannabis exploded, but its history with the plant long precedes American troops arriving.
History of the plant in the Kingdom & Region
Thailand has had a long history like much of South East Asia when it comes to Cannabis,
it has been widely used in cooking in Cambodia (Thailand’s Neighbor)
for centuries and has been the main ingredient for a number of remedies across the region to aid and relieve an array of ailments such as
migraine headaches, cholera, malaria, dysentery, asthma, digestion, parasites, and post-childbirth pain.
Thailand removed cannabis from its narcotics list on November 25, 2020, as well as hemp extracts, an amazing step towards the full decriminalization of the plant, the same year The Kingdom made Cannabis legal to grow and study and prescribe for medical purposes.
The move was huge for a part of the world where possession can fetch the death penalty (Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam) and aimed at supporting the medical industry and sale of cosmetics medicines and treatments with low levels of THC.
In recent years there has been a big boom in small home growers as getting the equipment and seeds is much more affordable and accessible,
And with all the information on the internet there are some very high-quality growers sprouting up all over Thailand.
Where the law is now
On the legal side, very few licensing has been issued and as of February 2020 only 18 licenses have been issued for the cultivation,
more than 300 other medical licenses have also been given to hospitals and research companies.
The import and Export has yet to be opened up to the Thai Public but the future projections for the export is bright as Thailand will look to bolster their income after what some Thai’s have said to have been one the hardest years for many businesses, especially ones that rely on the tourist industry which accounts for 7% of the countries GDP,
as it closed its borders this year to combat the situation of 2020, although the Thai government doesn’t account for the expenditure in a number of illegal industries funded by tourism, which some Thai locals say could potentially amount to 20% of the economy.
The first of many
Thailand has been the first country in South East Asia to consider relaxing its stance on Cannabis but it’s likely others will follow,
The Kingdoms Cannabis market is expected to reach $660 Million by 2024 a staggering figure which in comparison to other crops second only to rice.
With hemp quickly becoming a popular textile across the globe, known for its strength and mildew, mold and bacterial resistance,
also with foods already being a major export, if Thailand is the first to loosen its grip further on the production and consumption they stand to see huge increases in both areas,
which many industries can benefit from, moreover the average farmer who has so often been the victim of poverty in what is a fairly wealthy country, hopefully bridging the gap between the rich and poor by a little bit.
How the price has changed over the years
To give a comparison of cost and value we can look back to the Vietnam war, one veteran remembered ‘going to the PX (Army name for a shop on base) you could get a bottle of 0.80 cents Gin and trade it for 20 Thai sticks’.
Now that’s a pretty fair trade if you ask anyone,
even for the time, so considering the Kingdom went from a maximum penalty of one year in prison, no matter how much Cannabis you are caught with,
in the 1930’s, which would be considered a pretty relaxed
approach at any time in history, to a zero tolerance on all drugs, which happened thanks to America’s War on drugs which in 2016 a Thai Justice minister was quoted in saying
“the world has lost the war on drugs.”
also thanks to American officials that put pressure on the Thai government to not have such a relaxed stance on drugs regardless of its cultural and historical use.
To where we are today which is at a maturing state of legality and already legal in the medical field it looks like Thailand is posed to be a key player in the Asian Cannabis world and rightly so who wouldn’t want to smoke some fine herbs from the land of a thousand smiles?
When and how long?
Holding your breath for the Thai Government to make policies and get to the stage of decriminalizing or legalizing’s it entirely wouldn’t be a good idea,
the Thai government is not known for its speedy policy-making and thus putting a big question on not will? but when? will Thailand advance its steps to bring more opportunities to the Thai people to not only access medicine but create businesses,
for example, Thailand is already famous for its wellness retreats and luxury Spas, which in the last year have taken a huge financial hit
and will without a doubt have to adapt very quickly or face extinction.
one way this industry is considering is changing to cater for medical Cannabis retreats,
where treatments will now be legal thanks to the changes made last year on extracts from Hemp and Cannabis.
Cannabis Tourist hotpot?
Perhaps we could even see in the future, Thailand becoming one of the Medical/Recreational Cannabis hotspots of Asia
without the looming penalties, people currently face if caught taking part in drug-taking
and with its beautiful beaches and countryside and idyllic scenery it would make for what it has always been known to be, an absolute paradise, but perhaps a little greener.
Would you like to see Thailand in a greener light? Or do you prefer the draconian drug laws currently in place?
