Thailand first in Asia to move to decriminalize marijuana

By CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL.
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand has become the first country in Asia to approve the de facto decriminalization of marijuana. Thailand’s Narcotics Control Board on Tuesday agreed to have the Health Ministry drop cannabis from its list of controlled drugs. The delisting proposal by the Thai Food and Drug Administration becomes effective after it is signed by the health minister and published in the government gazette. It follows the removal of cannabis last month from the list of illegal drugs under Thailand’s Narcotics Law. However, a tangle of related laws means that that cannabis production and possession  remains regulated for the time being, leaving the legal status of recreational marijuana use in a grey area.