Bangkok
Thailand on Tuesday decriminalized the possession and sale of kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia whose leaves are used as a mild stimulant and painkiller and which has a following in the United States for its pain-relieving qualities.
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said thousands of legal cases for the possession or sale of kratom were being dropped, and 121 inmates convicted in such cases would be released immediately.
Possession of kratom had been punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of as much as 200,000 baht ($6,077) for quantities of 10 kilograms (22 pounds) or more.
The decriminalization of kratom, which involved removing the drug from the official list of controlled narcotics, is the country’s latest move to liberalize its drug laws.
In the past two years, Thailand has allowed regulated medical marijuana use as well as the licensed buying and growing of marijuana, and permitted households to grow up to six plants. Harsh penalties remain for hard drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine.
Easing pressure on Thailand’s justice system and its overcrowded prisons has been a major impetus for the new drug policy.
When he proposed the action on kratom to the Cabinet last year, Somsak said the move would not only help reduce costs in the legal system, but also allow the drug to be used as a low-cost substitute for expensive painkillers such as morphine and create income for people cultivating the plant, which is mostly grown and used in the impoverished south.—AFP
