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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: THAILAND WEED LEGALIZATION
HEADLINE: Who Will Win in Thailand’s Weed Wonderland?
TEASER: Marijuana growers scramble to establish their niche after the country makes it legal to grow and possess limited amounts of cannabis
PUBLISHED AT: 7/7/2022 9am
BYLINE: Vijitra Duangdee
DATELINE: Korat, Thailand
VIDEOGRAPHER: Black Squirrel Productions
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 3:01
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:
((INTRO))
[[Thailand is in a weed frenzy after the government recently made it legal to grow and possess cannabis with some limits. For VOA, Vijitra Duangdee has more from Korat, Thailand.]]
((NARRATION))
From underground grower to legitimate farmer, Piyatida Jantra’s journey to legality has taken three long years.
She now supplies dispensaries with cannabis products — legally, as of June 9.
That’s when Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to effectively decriminalize marijuana products.
((Piyatida Jantra, Cannabis Grower (female, Thai))
“I usually grow strains with a strong yield and a great smell. But I always like to try new strains developed by different breeders. Before cannabis was legalized, I lived in hiding and was paranoid. Now that weed is legalized I can grow with peace of mind …
((NARRATION))
The government is hoping for a bonanza from medical marijuana and wellness tourism.
According to Thai law, cannabis is restricted to use in medicine or food and must contain less than 0.2 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound that creates the high.
But for now, it’s a far cry from being used strictly for medical purposes as cannabis users take advantage of the space created by decriminalization.
Shops, bars, mobile trucks ar selling cannabis products, from pre-rolled joints to gummy bears infused with terpenes, the chemical compounds that give weed strains their smell and flavor.
In the eastern province of Chonburi, Siam Cannabis Land hopes to become a top destination for medical and wellness marjiuana. It is also helping small-time farmers get a foothold in a potential multibillion-dollar industry.
((FOR RADIO: Siriya Thepcharoen is the managing director at Nusa CSR))
((Siriya Thepcharoen, Nusa CSR Managing Director (female, Thai))
“We just launched a project to work with 5,000 co-ops across Thailand to train them how to grow cannabis in parallel with medical practitioners, who also need to learn the medical benefits of cannabis. We are also targeting young people who may travel here for recreation, thinking Thailand is the ‘Amsterdam of Asia.’”
((NARRATION))
The cannabis drive was meant to help small farmers like Piyatida. For now, her orders are surging. But parliament is due to discuss a cannabis bill in the coming weeks to refine the law.
Some fear the law may quash recreational use — and take with it the easiest market for small-time growers like Piyatida.
((Piyatida Jantra, Cannabis Grower (female, Thai))
“If the government is serious about legalizing, they need to go all the way … where every household can grow their own, no more controls. I dream of the day that I see weed fields as I see corn fields or sugarcane forest spread across our country.
((NARRATION))
One farmer in a country with big dreams, rooted in the growing cannabis industry.
((Vijitra Duangdee for VOA News, Korat, Thailand))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJuly 7, 2022 08:52 EDT
BylineKorat, Thailand
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
