Thailand providing free cannabis plants for home cultivation

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s public health minister says the government will distribute 1 million cannabis plants free when most legal restrictions on production and possession of the drug are lifted next month. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who spearheaded the country’s drive to decriminalize cannabis, signed a measure in February officially dropping cannabis from a list of controlled drugs. Officials hope that a major new cannabis industry will blossom, generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year. When the measure becomes effective on June 9, possessing and using all parts of cannabis plants will be allowed. However, extracted content will remain illegal if it contains more than 0.2% of THC, the psychoactive ingredient that produces a “high.”