Bad news: A proper 420 won’t happen next Wednesday. Great news: Save those spliffs for June when the decriminalization of the cannabis plant is complete.
That’s when marijuana advocacy group Highland will hold its seventh annual 420 event, slightly delayed until the legal process has been completed for delisting cannabis as a controlled narcotic. The event is dubbed Thailand 420: Legalaew!? (“legalized!?”).
“Highland invites you to celebrate the independence day that liberalizes marijuana, which has been imprisoned as a drug for decades,” the group wrote. “From the efforts and struggles of people fighting for rights and freedoms until the day we all have been waiting for: the day when cannabis plants are no longer an illicit drug.”
The two-day event will be held in Nakhon Pathom province and promises games, sports, music, panel discussions, workshops and more. Whether cannabis will be sold there is not immediately clear, organizers said, since everyone is in “wait and see” mode on pending legislation governing the use of marijuana.
The music lineup is headlined by rising star “Lover Boy” Phum Siritip, hybrid molam band Paradise Bangkok, and soulful reggae band Srirajah Rockers. A full schedule will be announced at a later date.
The two-day event will take place June 11 and June 12 – just after June 9, when the decriminalization process that began with a historic vote in January, reaches its conclusion.
Yes, Thailand, you will be able to smoke potent weed at home
Advance tickets are available at THB600 for one day and THB1,000 for two. Starting May 1, tickets are THB900 for one day and THB1,500 for two.
Had Sai Kao, a man-made beach in Nakhon Pathom’s Nakhon Chaisi district is located only an hour from downtown Bangkok.
June 9 marks 120 days since the order to delist cannabis entirely was published in the Royal Gazette on Feb. 9. Prior to that, only the non-psychoactive parts of the plant had been decriminalized.
What will happen after June 9? Under the proposed legislation, people would be able to grow marijuana at home, according to health minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Saturday. While they do not have to obtain permission, growers are supposed to notify the authorities about how many cannabis plants they possess, Anutin said.
Anutin also reminded folks they are supposed to use marijuana “the right way” and be “vigilant about the misuse.”
The bill to legislate cannabis use, as proposed, would enable de facto legalization of recreational use – in private. The details are still being hashed out by the Health Ministry before being introduced in the House of Representatives, according to Anutin. He did not give the time frame.
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