Thailand has legalized the cultivation and possession of marijuana.

The public health minister's intention to distribute one million marijuana seedlings beginning on Friday has added to the idea that Thailand is becoming a marijuana paradise.

On Thursday morning, several Thai proponents celebrated by purchasing marijuana in a cafe that had previously been restricted to selling only non-psychoactive plant components.

Sugarcane, Bubblegum, Purple Afghani, and UFO were among the varieties of buds available at the Highland Cafe in Bangkok, where a dozen or so customers were free to make their selections.

"I can freely admit that I am a cannabis user. The day's first customer, 24-year-old Rittipong Bachkul, stated, "I don't need to hide like in the past when it was labeled as an illegal drug."

So far, little effort will be made to regulate what individuals can cultivate and smoke at home, other than registering to do so and claiming that it is for medical purposes.

Potential marijuana tourists may wish to proceed with care for the time being.

The Thai government has stated that it is only advocating cannabis for medical purposes and has cautioned individuals wishing to smoke for recreational purposes that smoking in public might still be considered a nuisance, subject to a potential three-month term and 25,000 Thai baht (£575) fine.

And extracted content, such as oil, that contains more than 0.2% of the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) remains banned.

While marijuana is no longer considered a hazardous substance, Thai lawmakers have yet to approve legislation regulating its commerce, leaving its legal status in substantial confusion.

Thailand is the first country in Asia to decriminalize marijuana, commonly known as cannabis or ganja in the local vernacular. Still, it is not following the lead of Uruguay and Canada, the only nations that have legalized recreational marijuana nationally.

Thailand's primary objective is to dominate the medical marijuana market.

It has an established medical tourism sector, and its tropical climate is suitable for cannabis cultivation.

Public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, the country's leading marijuana advocate, recently stated, "We should know how to use cannabis."

Cannabis is comparable to gold in terms of value and should be promoted if the appropriate awareness is achieved.

But he continued, "The Department of Health will issue more Ministry of Health notices. If it causes annoyances, we can use the legislation to prohibit smoking."

The minister stated that the government prefers to "raise awareness" rather than patrolling and using the law to penalize individuals.

People who had been incarcerated for violating the old law are among the direct beneficiaries of the reform.

According to Gloria Lai, Asia regional director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, at least 4,000 individuals incarcerated for cannabis-related offenses will be released due to the legislative revisions.

"Cannabis-related charges will be dropped against those facing them, and money and cannabis seized from those charged with cannabis-related offenses will be returned to their rightful owners."

Her organization is a global network of civil society organizations that advocate drug policies "based on human rights, health, and development."

However, economic benefits lie at the core of the marijuana changes, which are expected to increase everything from the national income to the livelihoods of small farmers.

There are concerns over the fairness of the distribution of the benefits.

One concern is that suggested laws involving complex licensing procedures and hefty fees for commercial use, which would disadvantage small producers, could unfairly benefit large firms.

"We have witnessed what has transpired in Thailand's alcohol industry." According to opposition politician Taopiphop Limjittrakorn of the Move Forward party, only large-scale producers are permitted to monopolize the market.

We are concerned that the cannabis industry may experience the same fate if the rules favor big business.

His party supports the drafting of laws to address the issue.

Small businesses are eager to enter the marijuana industry nonetheless.

Ittisug Hanjichan, the proprietor of Goldenleaf Hemp, a cannabis farm, presented his fifth training course for forty business people, farmers, and retirees on a sweltering afternoon in the Sri Racha district of eastern Thailand.

They each paid approximately $150 (£120) to learn techniques for nicking seed coats and caring for plants to maximize harvests.

One of the attendees was 18-year-old Chanadech Sonboon, who stated that his parents previously reprimanded him for attempting to grow marijuana plants in secret.

According to him, his father has changed his heart and now views marijuana as a medicine rather than as something to be misused.

The family operates a tiny bed-and-breakfast cafe and intends to offer cannabis to its guests one day.