Governments in Southeast Asia have traditionally maintained hard punishments against drug users, from lengthy jail sentences to death. But Thailand has discovered that criminalization of drug use does little to solve the problem. The government is now thinking about loosening rules on medical marijuana, as Tony Cheng reports.  

Technicians unpacking narcotics for testing at a lab in Bangkok. The drugs are arriving faster than they can be unboxed. And while methamphetamine remains the number one delivery, a significant amount is marijuana. At the narcotics control bureau, a map displays how many busts they've made in the past 24 hours alone and only in Bangkok. Dealing with small busts for possession and use is wasting a huge amount of police time. But officers have no choice because of the rigidity of the law, although that might be about to change.

MANA SIRIPHITTAYAWAT DIRECTOR LEGAL AFFAIRS ONCB OFFICE OF NARCOTIC CONTROL BUREAU "The law forbids the use of marijuana in any form. What we are trying to do now is make a compromise so that it can be used for medical purposes."

The officers point out where the proposed marijuana farm will be in a remote area on the border with Laos. And although it is solely for the growth of medical marijuana, it's a big step. Thailand has learned that a hard line against drugs creates as many problems as it solves. A vicious war on drugs 15 years ago, cracked down hard on users of all narcotics. But that has failed to stop users of illegal imports, particularly of methamphetamine. Prisons are overcrowded and the deputy Prime Minister recently announced that legalization is a more practical solution than criminalization. Dr. Somyot makes the point that Thailand has a centuries-old association with Marijuana. And that the drug is frequently used in traditional Thai herbal remedies.

DR. SOMYOT KITTIMUNKONG "In Thai traditional medicine we have used marijuana as an ingredient in our formulation to treat disease, for many years."

It's even frequently used in Thai cooking.

TONY CHENG BANGKOK "Boat noodles, so named because they would be served in floating markets, are traditionally served with a number of condiments, fish sauce, chilli, and a pinch of dried marijuana, and while not on display, it's still quite easy to find noodles served with weed."

This high tech farm in the United States is now providing legal marijuana for recreational users. It will take considerable reform before the law allows this sort of thing in Thailand, but unlike its neighbours in SE Asia, who still maintain a very hard line against drugs. Thailand is heading in the opposite direction. Tony Cheng CGTN Bangkok.