How Thailand Is Blazing Trails on Gay Rights, Legalizing Marijuana

Thailand is largely regarded as a conservative, deeply religious country, with a military prone to intervening in politics and a king for whom “revered worship” is stipulated in the constitution. It’s also the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis and the first in Southeast Asia to move toward legalizing same-sex unions. Such developments stand out in a region where gay sex is illegal in many countries and some impose the death penalty for drug offenses. Among those cheering the moves in Thailand are the vital tourism industry.

Yes. Since June 9, cannabis -- also known as marijuana, pot or weed -- is no longer listed as a banned substance under Thailand’s Narcotics Act. However, the government says the decriminalization is intended for medical purposes only. It has repeatedly sought to discourage recreational use, though that will be difficult to enforce as there is no law that explicitly prohibits it. The government has warned that smoking pot in public could violate the country’s public health law, which states that a cannabis smell or smoke is a public nuisance. It has also moved since decriminalization to restrict its use to adults 20 and over and to ban it in schools and for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Although all parts of the cannabis plants of any potency are legal now, cannabis extracts that contain more than 0.2% of the psychoactive component, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), remain illegal.