Thai Police Disciplined for Arresting Cannabis Grower
On May 31, four Thai police officers were disciplined for arresting Pornpimol Prakobrol, a 56-year-old resident of Chonburi Province, who was growing a single cannabis plant. Pornpimol was using cannabis to treat her diabetes and hypertension.
On May 30, the police were investigating a case involving stolen motorcycles and visited Prakobrol’s home to question her as a witness. While there, officers noticed a 30 cm tall cannabis plant in her bedroom, arrested her, and confiscated the plant. Neighbors tried to intervene and prevent Pornpimol’s arrest, but despite their protests, the police took her to the station and placed her in custody. Her husband was unable to pay the 15,000 baht (about $430) bail, so she spent the night in jail before being released the next morning.
The incident sparked significant public outcry because Pornpimol was cultivating cannabis for personal medical use. The elderly woman added cannabis leaves to her food to lower blood pressure and ease diabetes symptoms.
Police Chief Admits Misconduct
Chonburi Police Chief Atthasit Kitjahan admitted that his officers had overstepped their authority and punished them by reassigning them to desk duty. To prevent similar incidents in the future, Atthasit advised his colleagues to “use common sense” when deciding whether to arrest cannabis growers.
Cannabis Legalization in Thailand
The officers faced disciplinary action despite Thailand’s ongoing ban on unregistered cannabis cultivation. The law legalizing industrial cannabis was set to take effect only on June 9. Authorities plan to remove cannabis strains with THC content not exceeding 0.2% from the list of controlled substances. Additionally, any cannabis product with THC content of 0.2% or less will no longer be considered a narcotic.
Thanks to these drug policy reforms, all Thai citizens will be allowed to grow unlimited amounts of cannabis, but cannabinoids may only be used for medical purposes. However, it remains unclear how law enforcement will monitor compliance with this requirement. To promote cannabis cultivation, the government will distribute one million plants to anyone interested.
Commenting on the upcoming legalization, Thai MP Supachai Jaisamut said, “We aim to maximize the benefits of cannabis cultivation, but we will ensure that cannabinoids are not used for recreational purposes. Honestly, we believe Thais are smart enough to take care of themselves.”
Registration for Cannabis Growers
Recently, Thai authorities launched a website and mobile app called Plook Ganja (“Plant Cannabis”) for cannabis growers to register. All residents who wish to cultivate cannabis are required to create an account on the portal or app and indicate how many plants they intend to grow. This service will allow police to monitor the volume of cannabis cultivation, while entrepreneurs will be able to find suppliers of raw materials for cannabinoid-based products.