Businesses in Thailand cash in on cannabis-infused desserts, bubble tea after government eases restrictions on CBD use – ABC News

Thailand's businesses have begun to cash in on a consumer frenzy for all things marijuana including desserts, bubble tea and skin care after restrictions on the drug eased.

The country last year allowed cannabis extracts and leaves to be used in cosmetics, food and drinks and decriminalisedthe private consumption and growth of the entire plant in June.

It was the first Asian country to do so, with officials banking on developing the drug as a lucrative local industry.

In 2018 it also became the first South-East Asian country to legalise marijuana for medical use and research, a decision which has since seen the industry boom.

Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, the main driver behind the policy, estimated Thailand's cannabis industry to be valued at more than $US3 billion ($4.33 billion) within the next five years.

"I want to see people getting rich out of doing these products in a positive way," he told Reuters.

However Thailand's government rushed to issue a string of new regulations on cannabis useafter the decriminalisation raised alarm that it could be used anywhere and by anyone, including children.

"My policy on cannabis is only focusing on medical purposes and health care," Mr Charnvirakul said.

"That's all. We can't encourage the use of cannabis in the other ways."

Officially commercial products approved by the food and drug regulator can contain cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical in cannabis that does not make users high.

Buttetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient that causes a high, is still limited in any cannabis product to just 0.2 per cent.

Mr Charnvirakul said that public health laws prevented recreational use, while a cannabis bill wasbeing debated in parliament.

Bangkok dessert shop Kanomsiam was one of the first to jump on the cannabis bandwagon, adding dried cannabis leaves into its traditional pandan-flavoured pancakes.

"It's like tapping into a fresh and interesting territory, it's worth a lot and it's new," said shop owner Kreephet Hanpongpipat.

The shop has earned a stream of regulars willing to pay 170 baht ($AU6.65) for six of the pancakes since their launch mid-2021.

Mr Kreephet hoped sales would pick up after the decriminalisation.

Nikom Rianthong started brushing his teeth with Channherb, a local toothpaste brand that uses cannabis sativa oil extract, two months ago.

He said the effect was immediate.

"I have receding gums and often got gingivitis," he said.

"After using the Channherb toothpaste, my teeth feel cleaner and all the gum diseases that I used to have went away."

Brand owner Surawut Samphant decided to use cannabis sativa oil extract when he came up with the formula in April because it has long been used by traditional medical practitioners to help with inflammation.

"We have a high number of customers returning to buy more of the product," Mr Samphant said.

"It is not just the CBDthat is the highlight;we also have other herbal extract ingredients in the toothpaste as well.

"Now, with all the herbs combined with the cannabis oil extract, the product has piqued even more interest."

A bubble tea chain store in Thailand's eastern Chonburi province also joined the cannabis fever by creating a special menu of cannabis-infused drinks.

"It is a frenzy, a trend. Cannabis has its own benefits when used correctly and in the right amount," store owner 33-year-old Nitisit Wongsasiriwatthana said.

Fans of the drink said it tasted like a "typical tea" but smelled like "some sort of herb".

ABC/Reuters

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Businesses in Thailand cash in on cannabis-infused desserts, bubble tea after government eases restrictions on CBD use - ABC News