为了刺激“后疫情时代”的经济复苏,泰国也是无所不用其极了。
2020年,受疫情防控措施影响,作为泰国经济支柱的旅游业及相关就业遭遇了沉重打击,泰国当年GDP下跌了6%。而在疫情以前,旅游业贡献了泰国GDP的五分之一,对就业的贡献也达到了20%。
虽然目前泰国已经取消了大部分疫情防控限制,但今年泰国的旅游业仍然没有太大起色。为了刺激经济,泰国又打起了大麻的主意。
从上周四起,泰国正式成为亚洲第一个大麻合法化的国家。今年1月份,泰国公共卫生部已将大麻从非法麻醉品名录中移除,并裁定从6月份起种植和销售大麻合法。而四年前,泰国也是整个东南亚第一个将医用大麻合法化的国家。
上周四,买大麻的人在泰国的大麻产品专卖店前排起了长队,只等当天法律一生效,就进去抢购。据路透社报道,一名男子表示,他从上周三晚上下班后就开始排队了。
目前,在泰国持有和销售大麻都是合法的,只不过必须通过认证商家购买。据《曼谷邮报》报道,目前泰国境内共种植和在售10种品类的大麻。人们可以将大麻种子和苗株买回家去种,然后将其用于医疗用途。
泰国政府之所以将大麻种植和商业销售合法化,是因为看中了大麻巨大的经济潜力。泰国卫生部部长阿努廷·查恩维拉库尔上周四表示,目前泰国仍有三分之一的劳动人口从事农业,而泰国也希望发展自己的大麻产业。
查恩维拉库尔表示:“我们预计大麻产业的价值将很轻易地超过20亿美元。”他强调泰国的气候非常适合大麻种植,而且泰国政府还向农民提供了激励措施,并计划建立一个大麻产品的出口产业。
“我认为,泰国人对此感到兴奋,并且迫切希望成为大麻市场上的竞争者——不管是作为投资者、产品生产者还是消费者。凭借当前的技术和市场策略,泰国将成为全球大麻市场上首屈一指的国家。”
不过泰国的大麻新规也附带了一条重要的限制性条款——你至少不能在公开场合吸食大麻。
据美联社报道,泰国政府规定,在公共场所吸食大麻仍有可能被认定为违法,并将处以25000泰铢(780美元)的罚款和最高3个月的监禁。另外,含有高浓度四氢大麻酚的大麻制品也仍然是非法的。
同样是上周四,泰国政府还宣布释放3000多名因涉大麻犯罪而被拘留的犯罪嫌疑人。
泰国政府此次修法应该是酝酿已久了。这也是泰国试图进军利润极其丰厚的大麻市场的第一步。
今年1月,泰国禁毒委宣布将大麻非罪化。今年5月,查恩维拉库尔宣布,一旦修法获得成功,政府将免费向老百姓发放100万株大麻植物。这些大麻植物预计从上周五开始发放。
上周四,泰国有超过10万人注册为大麻居家种植者,由于申请注册的人太多,连政府的备案APP都一度拥塞了。
根据2021年的一项行业预测,目前全球大麻行业的产值接近260亿美元,但未来十年有望实现爆炸性增长。该报告还预计,到2030年,大麻行业的产值将接近1.8万亿美元。(财富中文网)
译者:朴成奎
为了刺激“后疫情时代”的经济复苏,泰国也是无所不用其极了。
2020年,受疫情防控措施影响,作为泰国经济支柱的旅游业及相关就业遭遇了沉重打击,泰国当年GDP下跌了6%。而在疫情以前,旅游业贡献了泰国GDP的五分之一,对就业的贡献也达到了20%。
虽然目前泰国已经取消了大部分疫情防控限制,但今年泰国的旅游业仍然没有太大起色。为了刺激经济,泰国又打起了大麻的主意。
从上周四起,泰国正式成为亚洲第一个大麻合法化的国家。今年1月份,泰国公共卫生部已将大麻从非法麻醉品名录中移除,并裁定从6月份起种植和销售大麻合法。而四年前,泰国也是整个东南亚第一个将医用大麻合法化的国家。
上周四,买大麻的人在泰国的大麻产品专卖店前排起了长队,只等当天法律一生效,就进去抢购。据路透社报道,一名男子表示,他从上周三晚上下班后就开始排队了。
目前,在泰国持有和销售大麻都是合法的,只不过必须通过认证商家购买。据《曼谷邮报》报道,目前泰国境内共种植和在售10种品类的大麻。人们可以将大麻种子和苗株买回家去种,然后将其用于医疗用途。
泰国政府之所以将大麻种植和商业销售合法化,是因为看中了大麻巨大的经济潜力。泰国卫生部部长阿努廷·查恩维拉库尔上周四表示,目前泰国仍有三分之一的劳动人口从事农业,而泰国也希望发展自己的大麻产业。
查恩维拉库尔表示:“我们预计大麻产业的价值将很轻易地超过20亿美元。”他强调泰国的气候非常适合大麻种植,而且泰国政府还向农民提供了激励措施,并计划建立一个大麻产品的出口产业。
“我认为,泰国人对此感到兴奋,并且迫切希望成为大麻市场上的竞争者——不管是作为投资者、产品生产者还是消费者。凭借当前的技术和市场策略,泰国将成为全球大麻市场上首屈一指的国家。”
不过泰国的大麻新规也附带了一条重要的限制性条款——你至少不能在公开场合吸食大麻。
据美联社报道,泰国政府规定,在公共场所吸食大麻仍有可能被认定为违法,并将处以25000泰铢(780美元)的罚款和最高3个月的监禁。另外,含有高浓度四氢大麻酚的大麻制品也仍然是非法的。
同样是上周四,泰国政府还宣布释放3000多名因涉大麻犯罪而被拘留的犯罪嫌疑人。
泰国政府此次修法应该是酝酿已久了。这也是泰国试图进军利润极其丰厚的大麻市场的第一步。
今年1月,泰国禁毒委宣布将大麻非罪化。今年5月,查恩维拉库尔宣布,一旦修法获得成功,政府将免费向老百姓发放100万株大麻植物。这些大麻植物预计从上周五开始发放。
上周四,泰国有超过10万人注册为大麻居家种植者,由于申请注册的人太多,连政府的备案APP都一度拥塞了。
根据2021年的一项行业预测,目前全球大麻行业的产值接近260亿美元,但未来十年有望实现爆炸性增长。该报告还预计,到2030年,大麻行业的产值将接近1.8万亿美元。(财富中文网)
译者:朴成奎
Thailand is getting creative with how to restart its economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, the country’s GDP fell by 6%, largely due to COVID-era restrictions impacting jobs and businesses in the tourism sector. Prior to the pandemic, tourism accounted for one fifth of the country’s GDP and 20% of employment.
But despite lifting most coronavirus restrictions, the tourism sector is still struggling to recover in 2022, and the country is turning to another means to kickstart its economy.
On Thursday, Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize the use of marijuana and hemp. The country’s Public Health Ministry had agreed in January to remove the two plants from its illicit narcotics category, ruling that cultivation and commerce would be legalized in June. The ruling came four years after becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize the drug for medical use.
Shoppers formed a line in front of Bangkok cannabis product vendors on Thursday in anticipation of the law change. One man said he had been waiting in line since he got off from work Wednesday evening, Reuters reported.
Possession and distribution of cannabis is now legal through recognized vendors, who can now sell any of the 10 strains of cannabis plants grown in Thailand. People can now grow the plant in their homes and consume it for medical purposes, according to the Bangkok Post.
Legalizing the commercial sale and personal cultivation of cannabis products is the latest step in the Thai government’s plan to monetize the plant as a lucrative cash crop. Agriculture still employs nearly a third of Thailand’s workforce, and the country is looking to develop a domestic cannabis industry, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said during statements on Thursday.
“We expect the value of [the cannabis] industry to easily exceed $2 billion,” he said, highlighting Thailand’s ideal climate to grow the plant, and the incentives that had already been provided to farmers, and plans to develop a larger export industry around the crop.
“I think Thai people are excited and eager to be players—either as investors or product-makers as well as consumers. With today’s technology and marketing strategies, Thailand will be second to none in being able to promote [cannabis] products in the global market.”
But the new law comes with one major caveat: you can’t smoke cannabis, or not in public at least.
The Thai government has warned potential consumers that smoking in public could still be considered a nuisance, and it will subject users to a 25,000 baht ($780) fine and a jail sentence of up to three months, the AP reported. Cannabis products with particularly potent concentrations of THC, marijuana’s primary psychoactive ingredient, also remain illegal.
Also on Thursday, the Thai government announced the release of over 3,000 inmates who had been detained under cannabis-related charges.
The law change appears to have been long in the making, and could be the first step in a national attempt to tap into the extremely lucrative domestic cannabis market.
The Narcotics Control Board approved decriminalizing the drug in January, and in May, Charnvirakul announced that once the law was changed the government would give away one million free cannabis plants to households. These deliveries are expected to start on Friday.
On Thursday, more than 100,000 people registered to cultivate cannabis in their homes, temporarily overwhelming the capacity of the government-sponsored registration app.
The global cannabis industry is currently worth nearly $26 billion, according to a 2021 industry forecast, but is poised for explosive growth over the next decade. The same report estimates that the industry will be worth nearly $1.8 trillion by 2030.