BANGKOK -- Thailand's general election in March had a potentially powerful side effect: It made a party that advocates the full legalization of marijuana the country's fifth-largest political force.
In a region that maintains some of the harshest narcotics laws on the planet, including death for trafficking, the cannabis taboo is beginning to go up in smoke. Even before the election, Thailand's junta became the first Southeast Asian government to legalize the drug for medicine and research, amending a strict 1979 law as a "New Year's gift" to the people after heavy lobbying by pro-cannabis groups.
But as Asian countries slowly begin to follow the lead of Western governments that have accepted weed for medical and even recreational use, critics warn the authorities may not fully understand the consequences as they zero in on a new source of tax revenue.
Thailand's Bhumjaithai party argues fully legal pot would bring big economic benefits. In the election campaign, it vowed to promote cannabis as a lucrative commodity that could help poor farmers earn up to 400,000 to 600,000 baht ($13,000 to $19,500) a year. Now the party is a member of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's coalition government, and has been rumored to have a shot at the health ministry portfolio.
Supachai Jaisamuth, a leading member of the party, said it will continue to push for embracing cannabis as a cash crop. "We are now a government coalition party so it is easier to continue the policy that we promised the Thai people during the election," he said.
For the time being, patients that meet certain conditions are eligible for marijuana prescriptions. After Thailand's king approved the legal revision in February, the government held a 90-day amnesty program under which people in illegal possession of the drug could register to verify that they legitimately need it, with no risk of punishment. The Bangkok Post reported that 1 in 10 applicants, out of about 20,000, were deemed to have valid needs, such as cancer sufferers.
So far, only the Government Pharmaceutical Organization can legally grow cannabis and the extract cannabidiol, known as CBD, for medical products. The GPO has set up the nation's first indoor farm to develop Thailand's own patented cannabis medicines, said Vichien Keeratinijakal, an agronomy lecturer at Kasetsart University who conducted a cannabis extract project for the organization.
"The first lot of 2,500 bottles of CBD extract with 5 cc each will be distributed to hospitals and medical schools across the country by July-August, to be used in medical trials, particularly as a pain-control drug," Vichien said, adding it would also be used as a sublingual drop for epilepsy patients.
The authorities will consider applications from certain types of organizations and health care practitioners that wish to grow, import or export medical marijuana. Unauthorized possession remains punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Proponents of legalization see enormous untapped business potential. Prohibition Partners, a nongovernmental organization founded two years ago with a mission to open up the international cannabis industry, estimates 85.5 million of Asia's roughly 4.5 billion population in 2019 are cannabis users. The group projects the Asian market will be worth $8.5 billion in 2024, with medical use accounting for $5.8 billion of that.