6 Thong Lor ganja vendors hit with suspended jail term, THB5,000 fine

Dr Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong, director-general of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM), said the Criminal Court had initially sentenced the vendors to two months in jail before suspending the jail term and putting them under probation for two years. The vendors were arrested last week for selling ganja buds without a licence.

The court also ordered them to pay a fine of 5,000 baht each and their stock of marijuana was confiscated.

On Tuesday, officials from the Public Health Ministry and Thong Lor police launched a raid to see if marijuana was being sold under licence.

The officials found that five vendors were selling from their mobile shops using small modified trucks like food trucks, while one was selling marijuana buds from his shop without a licence.

Three of the five truck owners also presented fake licenses to the authorities before all six were taken to Thong Lor Police Station for legal action.

Thongchai said the six suspects were charged in court for violating Section 78 of the Alternative Medicine Act by selling a controlled herb without a licence.

DTAM has issued a directive announcing that marijuana buds are a controlled part of the plant and can only be sold with a licence. DTAM also said that buyers will be required to present their ID cards every time they purchase ganja buds from some 5,000 licensed sellers, starting next month.

The DTAM chief added that the court ruling proves that existing laws are adequate to control the sale and consumption of ganja.

The Public Health Ministry’s billion cannabis and hemp is in its second reading in the House of Representatives.