Plant giveaway promotes Thailand’s medical marijuana sector

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s health minister has kicked off a marijuana giveaway, handing out the first 100 seedlings of a planned distribution of 1 million plants a day after the country legalized cultivation and possession of the drug. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who has been the driving force behind legalization, presided over the giveaway in a northeastern province. Anutin has touted growing marijuana, also called cannabis, as a way to increase farmers’ incomes. The government insists that officially, only medical marijuana has been legalized. But there appear to be no serious impediments to private, recreational use.