Nearly 1 million people approved to grow cannabis already

If you have been wondering what the fuss is about over the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand, you probably aren’t one of the nearly 1 million people who have now been issued a certificate to grow the plant. The Food and Drug Administration announced that as part of its Plook Ganja mobile app program, over 980,000 people have now registered for the right to grow marijuana plants.

The FDA reported Saturday morning that since the decriminalisation of cannabis and hemp on June 9, and the launch of the Plook Ganja mobile app that allows people to register online, exactly 983,557 people used the app to register to grow cannabis on their land, while authorities are still struggling to enact legislation following the flurry of interest.

And that may be just the beginning. The app itself has been downloaded over 43.5 million times already since the FDA began the online registration system. In fact, the demand was so massive for the registration, that the FDA then had to launch a separate website that people can also register on, just to accommodate the flood of requests.

The registration process can be done fully online through the app or the website, and even the approval comes digitally with an electronic certificate being issued. Of the total Thai applicants, 30,791 people have been approved to grow hemp, while the vast majority, 952,766 people, applied and were approved by e-certificate to grow cannabis legally in Thailand.

Once your registration is approved, the permission granted is quite broad, allowing people to produce and process parts of hemp and cannabis, along with growing the plants and using the crop that they grow. And that does not only cover used for medicinal purposes for personal health, and the preparation of traditional medicines, but also permission for industrial or even commercial purposes.

As of now, it appears only Thai nationals and not expats living in Thailand are eligible to register and legally grow cannabis as a Thai ID number is required to register. The Thaiger suggests consulting a lawyer before starting your cultivation or commercial operations.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post