Mugglehead reports
Four cannabis cultivars from Thailand have been registered as national heritage as the country continues a slow process of smoothing out its pot laws.
By registering ST1, TT1, UUA1 and RD1, Thailand is making those cultivars legal — not for recreational use, however, which remains outlawed. The process is expected to be completed this month and the government suggested in June that the registry will promote cannabis research.
“We don’t have any legal strains in Thailand,” says Kitty Chopaka, a cannabis advocate in Thailand and CEO of Elevated Estate. “This is kind of a way for them to be able to convert something that was illegal into something that was legal.”
The Thai cultivars have been developed by local farmers but are quite similar sativas and are essentially the same, Chopaka explains.
And she argues the names should have reflected the country’s heritage instead of being since a series of letters and numbers.
“Unfortunately, it seems like the people who have registered don’t actually know or understand cannabis,” Chopaka says.
The government is trying to solve the problem of legal access but they aren’t doing it right, she adds.
According to the Chiang Rai Times, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is supportive of medical cannabis and the designation will promote research of the cultivars. However, the minister’s suggestion about cannabis generating economic benefits for the country may not happen anytime soon.
Read more at https://mugglehead.com/thailand-registers-4-cannabis-cultivars-as-national-heritage/
