Many farmers are lured by the higher rewards of the black market, despite its risks. To close the gap, legalisation advocates say growing for recreational use should also be allowed. 4/4

While cooperatives take months to pay farmers about 50 dirhams per kilogram for the raw plant, on the illicit market, processed cannabis resin can fetch up to 2,500 dirhams per kilogram. (Depending on the quality of the resin, 8 to 10 kilograms of raw plant are needed for 1 kilogram of resin). 3/4

There are 5,800 hectares of legally planted land, according to regulatory agency ANRAC, but that pales in comparison to the illegal cultivation over more than 27,100 hectares, Interior Ministry data shows. 2/4

Only 2,000 of the estimated 18,000 cannabis shops in Thailand will be left once authorities complete their plan to convert dispensaries to clinics with resident doctors.
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Health Minister Somsak and the government decided to turn a deaf ear to the calls for a more moderate approach to cannabis control law. Mr Somsak must pay heed to the advocates' demands, and stop politicising cannabis which is of no benefit to anyone.
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It would be better, within the experiment, to allow the import hashish from Morocco where there is currently a surplus of legal hashish that traditional growers. That would help both countries to overcome problems with their their cannabis policies. 2/2