Weed is legal in Thailand but tourists can’t smoke

Thailand legalized the cultivation and possession of marijuana last week, but the new laws come with regulations and exceptions that could put a damper on the idea of the country as a cannabis haven for tourists.

The Thai Food and Drug Administration officially removed marijuana and hemp from the Category 5 narcotics list, a move that made Thailand the first country in Asia to decriminalize marijuana for medical and industrial use. However, the country is not legalizing recreational marijuana nationally, and the Thai government is setting limits around the new policies. The new cannabis laws were created with medical, economic and health-related objectives in mind, according to a post on the Thai government’s official Facebook page.