Public Health Minister Anutin Charnivakul said the move marked the beginning of “a new history for cannabis” in the country. Two years after becoming the first nation to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes, Thailand has taken another step toward becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to decriminalize the drug. Yesterday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed a ministerial announcement officially removing cannabis and hemp from Category 5 of the country’s list of narcotics. At a signing ceremony, Anutin, who has spearheaded Thailand’s push for decriminalization since his Bhumjaithai Party made legalization of cannabis a key campaign promise at the 2019 election, expressed hopes that the move marked the beginning of a “new history for cannabis” in Thailand. “Cannabis actually has plenty of medical benefits, not different from other herbs, and we are trying our best to make the Thai people enjoy both medical and economic benefits from it,” the minister said.

Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 02/09/2022 05:03:00

Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/thailand-drops-cannabis-from-its-list-of-controlled-narcotics-the-diplomat/

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Kevin Stitt implied on Monday that voters didn’t quite understand the ballot initiative they overwhelmingly approved in 2018 to legalize medical marijuana. Or perhaps they were misled? The governor said he found the ballot to be “misleading, and it has tied our hands as we regulate the industry.”The governor, reported Marijuana Moment, pointed to the relatively low cost of obtaining a cannabis business license, noting that without a cap on marijuana operators, the market has expanded at an unsustainable rate. “Oklahoma charges just $2,500 for a commercial license,” Stitt said, noting that California charges far more, in fact up to 72 times more. “As a result, we have seven times the growers in California with just 10 percent of the people.” Then the governor moved on to neighboring Arkansas. “Next door in Arkansas, they have eight growers. We have 8,300,” the governor said. “You know as well as I do that not all of that product is being sold legally. This is a perfect example of why we need to make sure initiative petitions represent Oklahomans and not out-of-state special interest groups.” The governor advised that voters should be aware of all the details before changing voting to change the Constitution. “While we can’t change the past, we can learn from it and improve our future. We’re getting the right leaders in place and untying their hands to enforce the laws.”

Benzinga Staff Writer, The Fresh Toast, 02/08/2022 06:00:00

Open article: https://thefreshtoast.com/news/oklahoma-gov-implies-voters-didnt-fully-comprehend-marijuana-bill-they-approved/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=oklahoma-gov-implies-voters-didnt-fully-comprehend-marijuana-bill-they-approved