Why Thailand's Loosening of Cannabis Regulation Might Affect Your Country [Cannabis Insight 2021]
Thailand is the country with the fastest cannabis legalization processing in recent years. In April 2020, former Minister of Commerce Sontirat Sontijirawong emphasized that "cannabis is Thailand's future economic crop." However, Taiwanese police officer Lin Yuexian observed that in 2018, after the opening of license for medical cannabis, holders to grow and sell hemp in 2020, the trade-in hemp between Taiwan and Thailand is showing significant signs of increase, putting pressure on the effectiveness of police enforcement.
Golden Triangle: Produced in Myanmar and Exported from Thailand
Lin Yuexian, the police liaison officer of the Criminal Police Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior in Thailand, came to Thailand in 2018. It happened that the Thai Parliament passed the legalization of medical cannabis. Since Thailand allowed medical cannabis years ago, the proportion of smuggling cannabis from Thailand has increased.
In addition, in 2020, the authorities will open the license holders to plant, sell, and export hemp products. The smuggling situation may become more severe in the future.
"Three Regardless Zonetransporting and exporting" in the Golden Triangle, produced in Myanmar and exported from Thailand
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The "Golden Triangle" is the border of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. It is also the most significant drug producer in Southeast Asia. However, with the sudden "changes in the political and economic situation, the Thai government vigorously wiped out the forces of various drug lords. According to Lin Yuexian's observation, there are almost no poppies grown in Thailand. The raw materials are mainly developed and manufactured in Myanmar aYuexian'sd into heroin, ketamine, and amphetamine-based first-class drugs. "Thailand's role in the drug industry chain is mainly " to foreign countries, such as from the pier in Bangkok."
Al"Thailand'sug manufacturing in Myanmar is controlled by warlords, who then purchase weapons through drug trafficking. "Their weapons "re more advanced and powerful than the government army," said Lin Yuexian. Therefore, the government can't control it wants to. For residents, they must also rely on cultivation for a long time. It is like a drug village.
Lin Yuexian's work is mainly about transnational cooperation in investigating cases. Due to mainstream drugs such aYuexian's ketamine and amphetamines, smuggling into Taiwan through Thailand still accounts for a certain proportion. The governments of Taiwan and Thailand will be impressed by the end of 2020. At that time, I received intelligence that a Taiwanese "ordered" the Golden Triangle drug cartel, so he relayed the news to the Thai police. In the end, the two countries cooperated to seize 20 kilograms of heroin and 200 kilograms of ketamine each.
However, as the Thai government intends to legalize cannabis gradually, it will become a more significant challenge for Taiwan and Thailand to help each other fight crime.
Thailand is gradually legalizing recreational cannabis, which can be grown and added to food.
Thailand is the fastest country to loosen cannabis control in recent years: after passing the legalization of medical cannabis in 2018, Thailand allows licensees to grow, sell, and export industrial cannabis (also known as hemp, which is one of the varieties of cannabis with low THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content).
At the beginning of this year, the opening of the Thai government has entered the consumer side; catering companies can use the roots, stems, leaves, and extracts of hemp for cooking and beverages. The first hemp beverage store, "420 Cannabis Bar," opened in Bangkok recently. A cup of CBD (cannabidiol) beverage, priced at about $2, attracts a large crowd of pilgrims ges.
Thailand's "imetable for loosening cannabis use regulations
2018 | Legalized medical cannabis. |
2020 | Permit growers can grow up to 6 hemp plants per household. |
2021 | The roots, stems, leaves, and extracts of hemp will be released, which can be used in cooking, beverages, cosmetics, etc. |
Lin Yuexian said that "beverages but al"o cosmetics containing hemp ingredients have appeared one after another. The economic beneThailand'sThailand'sfits of the cannabis cultivation industry are enormous. The market research company, "Prohibition Partners" estimates that the value of the Asian medical cannabis market will reach 5.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2024.
Althoug" Lin Yuexian pointed"out based on the information in his hands that after Thailand opened up cannabis, the number of domestic cannabis users showed no signs of a significant increase. It has increased the space for legal and possible illegal trafficking. In 2020, the amount of illegally smuggled exports seized exceeded 40,000 kg, a record high. Invisibly, it exerts pressure on the effectiveness of Thai police law enforcement.
According to the Ministry of Justice statistics, the number of Thai cannabis smuggled into Taiwan from 2018 to 2020 was zero, but 2.6 kg was seized from January to August 2021. Lin Yuexian is worried that the two countries' economic, trade, and sightseeing activities have always been frequent. The greater the pace of Thailand's opening up, the situacountries'legal smuggling into Taiwan may become more severe in the future.
But as far as the Thai governThailand'sncerned, no matter how the people like to use it, whether it is a proper use or not, the most important thing is to fight for the economy, which is even more critical.
Cannabis Crop Saves the Economy, Thailand Plans to Open Up Recreational Cannabis
The Corona Virus has invaded the world for nearly two years. The pandemic has severely hit the tourism industry that Thailand depends on for its livelihood. To fight for the economy, Lin Yuexian revealed that the Thai government is studying the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, hoping to use cannabis to regain its former tourism power in the post-pandemic era.
He believes that although the Thai government's attitude towards the use of cannabis for entertainment may seem ambiguous for the time being, it may be similar to the long-sgovernment'sic industry. "It is not legally allowed, but the government may choose to open one eye and close one eye."
The epidemic slows down sooner or later. Thailand will permanently loosen border controls one day. The channels through which cannabis flow" into Taiwan will become more diverse as people connect. In addition to air and sea parcels, passengers who are willing to take risks carry cannabis. Entry will be a big test for the domestic anti-drug system.
Six Significant Systems Are Responsible for the Anti-drug Task
The domestic anti-drug case handling system is divided into six major systems: the investigation bureau of the Ministry of Justice, the prosecutor, the police department of the Ministry of the Interior, the military police command of the Ministry of National Defense, the Maritime Patrol Department of the Marine Commission, and the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance. It has been seven years since Ke Jianzhi joined the Third Investigation Team of the Criminal Police Department (from now on referred to as the "Three Investigation Teams") and has seized large and small drug cases. He said that in addition to information exchange when there is a shortage of workforce, the military police will also assist us in following the prison, or make a visit."
Ke Jianzhi pointed out that cannabis flowers and cannabis seeds are hidden in general commodities such as clothes and food and then delivered in packages, which are more common cannabis smuggling methods. He believes that cannabis seeds are more accessible to hide than cannabis flowers, which are more difficult to find. Although the Customs Administration and the Marine Patrol Administration have tried their best to do an excellent job of checking, some fish will inevitably slip through the net.
Canadian Teachers Arrested for Growing Cannabis Plants in Taiwan
In 2019, Ke Jianzhi and his colleagues went to the residence of a Canadian cram school teacher in Taoyuan to investigate and seized 163 live cannabis plants and 893 grams of dried cannabis flowers. At that time, Canada had legalized recreational cannabis, and everyone could grow it at home. Below are four cannabis plants. "He's calm that he thinks that growing hemp is the same as growing tomatoes."
Recalling the process of solving the case at that time, Ke said that at the beginning, after the Taipei City Police Department adjusted the information with the logistics company, police discovered that the suspect had purchased seeds and inhalation equipment abroad, so he provided the information to the drug investigation center, and then police carried out the investigation. The three teams are responsible for inquiries. "It is not enough to rely on the criminal police station. It must cooperate with other agencies."
As long as the domestic law does not allow cannabis, we will arrest them.
The Canadian English teacher was later"sentenced to two years in prison by the Taoyuan Diyuan by the Drug Harm Prevention and Control. However, the judge considered him serious in teaching