In Thailand, the Bhumjaithai party, or Proud to Be Thai party, is hoping to sway voters by pushing to increase cannabis farming on the heels of recent medical marijuana legislation.

Since Thailand has legalized medical marijuana, cannabis farming could bring in significant revenue — or so the party claims. The hope is that, in addition to garnering interest, the Bhumjaithai party will be able to secure enough votes to win over its competing parties — 24 in number — all hoping for positive feedback in the first general election since the 2014 coup.

For the Bhumjaithai party, marijuana is such an important campaign point that the party’s signs include an oversized marijuana leaf. Meanwhile, the website for the party strongly advocates for marijuana growth, noting the potential for earning as much as $2,230 per kilogram if marijuana is sold overseas.

The country will need time to adjust and incorporate marijuana into the farming culture once again. Previously the Thai people were well versed in marijuana cultivation and use, as they made it a primary factor in medicines until the drug was banned in the country in 1934. Now, other parts of the world are further ahead in the marijuana cultivation process, meaning Thailand will have to play catch up in the hope of bringing in significant revenue from the crop.

The plant now has to fight an unfair stigma with the Thai people, which was created as the plant was criminalized in recent decades. Meanwhile, the move to decriminalize and allow for marijuana growth will be a gradual one, leaving the Proud to Be Thai party a bit ahead of the game with its optimism in revenue in the short-term.

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