Countries all over the world are beginning to rework their marijuana laws. Several governments have either legalized the plant for medical use or made it fully recreational in the case of Uruguay. One country making the plunge into the legal cannabis industry is Thailand.
The Southeast Asian country’s parliament approved the medicinal marijuana bill on Tuesday making it the first country in the region known for its stringent drug policies to do so. A parliamentary committee member said the decision was “a New Year’s gift from the National Legislative Assembly to the government and the Thai people.” Other countries in the region such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia still maintain harsh sentencing for trafficking marijuana which carries the death penalty.