Asia

A former civilian employee for the U.S. Marine Corps was sentenced to four years and four months in prison in Japan after he was arrested last year for illegal cannabis sales.

A cafe selling CBD-infused edibles and drinks has opened in Hong Kong. The business only offers products that contain 0 percent THC.

Pakistan has approved a government-controlled hemp production plan that will allow hemp farming for industrial and medical purposes.

Indonesian officials reversed a decree designating cannabis as a “medicinal plant” after an Instagram post of the original decree went viral. Cannabis remains illegal in Indonesia, even for medical patients, though it was designated “medicinal” for research purposes.

Officials in Thailand have approved a draft law that would allow farmers, health professionals, and medical patients to cultivate, produce, and export cannabis products.

Japanese company Hiro International has unveiled a new line of CBD products produced using orange peels, not hemp or cannabis.

Lebanese lawmakers have approved the legalization of medical cannabis and industrial hemp; the move was recommended by economic advisors prior to the coronavirus outbreak.

A draft legalization law has been sent to members of Lebanon’s Parliament — the proposal, however, would only legalize cannabis products containing no more than 1 percent THC.

Nepal lawmakers will consider adult-use cannabis legalization after lawmakers from the ruling Communist Party proposed the reforms; the legislation is reportedly backed by at least 46 lawmakers.

A health clinic in Chiang Mai, Thailand is the country’s first to offer treatments using both cannabis and mainstream medicines.

Proposed changes to Thailand’s cannabis laws would allow citizens to cultivate up to six plants and sell their harvests back to the government, who would process it into medical cannabis products.

Cannabis advocates in India have filed a suit challenging the nation’s federal cannabis prohibition as unconstitutional, arguing that cannabis should be regulated and “reasonably” restricted.

Thailand has started processing seized cannabis products into bottled medical cannabis oils for the domestic market.

A recent study into the historical origins of cannabis has traced the plant back just over 28 million years ago to the Tibetan Plateau, 10,500 feet above sea level.

The hemp and medical cannabis markets in Asia — if fully legalized — would be poised to grow more rapidly than anywhere else in the world, new data indicates.

Following public outcry against a plan to patent THC and CBD cannabis compounds, the Thai Prime Minister has stepped in to resolve the dispute.

Thailand’s government has approved applications for cannabinoids and cannabis extracts, though patents have not yet been awarded.

It appears Thailand will be the first country in Southeast Asia to allow for the production and sale of medical cannabis.