By now you may have heard that Thailand has, in fact, legalized the use of medical marijuana, however, many details surrounding the change in law have gone unnoticed.
For example, although Thailand’s military government unanimously approved the use of medical marijuana, for it to actually become official we will have to wait for King Maha Vajiralongkorn to give his seal of approval as well. But, when this takes place, Thailand will actually become the first country to legalize cannabis use in any form in Southeast Asia.
However, this doesn’t mean that they are the only ones who have thought about it. In fact, South Korea also legalized medical marijuana, however, the country is acting a little more conservative as they are strictly regulating it by only dispensing it in special government-run facilities. Having said this, no one has made bigger strides than Malaysia, as after drug offences made up the largest number of executions, the death penalty has now been abolished and medicinal marijuana is being considered by the government.
In short, the legalisation of medicinal marijuana in Thailand isn’t the same as the legalisation of the drug in many Western countries as traditionally these areas are far stricter and even harsher when it comes to punishments. Instead, this can be seen as a significant step towards a more modernised and humanitarian-focused government.
