The regulatory climate for cannabis in Thailand may feel like the Wild West but the reality is that things are changing quickly. Very quickly.
Last week, the Thai Public Health Ministry announced the first batch of changes to the law and they concern the use of THC and CBD in food items.
This week there are even more changes but these changes regarding food and CBD remain in effect.
Announced In The Royal Gazette
Not every change to compliance here requires an official amendment to the law, the Public Health Ministry has certain powers and that means when it wants to affect a change within its remit, it posts a notice in the Royal Gazette.
This notice was published in late October. And we’re happy to report they’re not designed to overburden the burgeoning cannabis industry here in Thailand.
The Essence Of The New Rules
The changes are as follows:
- Labeling
There were no standards at all regarding food product labels and cannabis. This led to, at least, one case of accidental consumption. Now, labels must clearly state if a product is made using cannabis or hemp. If a company has a line in place which doesn’t meet the labeling standard, they must comply within two years. - Quantity limits for food products sold directly to consumers
The new rules allow for just 0.0032% THC in these products and no more than 0.0028% CBD. The Gazette is not clear where these measures are derived but it’s probably safe to assume that these have been tested somewhere to ensure they have an effect without going overboard. - Quantity limits for other food products
In addition, if the products are not sold directly to consumers they may not contain more than 1.6 grams of THC in total and CBD is capped at a lower rate of 1.41 grams. This is per product item. - Warning labels
Rather sensibly, the labeling will also be required to include a warning to consumers about the consequences of taking too much of the active ingredients. We think we see an opportunity here to make a cool new cannabis t-shirt to boost merch sales with a warning label on it. - Removal of CBD limit on seeds
There was also a minor change that removed the limit of how much CBD was acceptable to extract from hemp seeds. This should make it easier for manufacturers to process enough CBD from the seeds they buy. - CBD can now be mixed with other health-safe ingredients
The final change is simply to allow that CBD can be used in products in a mixture with other “health-safe” ingredients as stipulated by the ministry.
There’s nothing too burdensome here and we’re surprised that the ministry is giving a two year run up time for effective labeling.
We’re all for cannabis in food, but you should always know that it’s there before you consume it.
Final Thoughts
There’s not much to these new laws and compliance for businesses ought to be very easy, indeed.
We’re expecting to see far more regulation in the future and we think it’s nice that companies are being given the chance to adapt at a reasonable pace too.
