ONCB Secretary-General reveals progress on draft ministerial regulations to control cannabis and hemp extracts. Production, import, export, and distribution must request permission. Violators will be subject to both imprisonment and fines. Pol. Lt. Gen. Phanurat Lakboon, Secretary-General of the ONCB, revealed that yesterday (8 October), the Cabinet approved the principle of the draft Ministerial Regulation on the request for and permission to produce, import, export, distribute or possess Category 5 narcotics, specifically extracts from cannabis or hemp plants, B.E. ... as proposed by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and sent it to the Office of the Council of State for further consideration. The draft Ministerial Regulation is a secondary law issued under the Narcotics Code. The main points of the draft Ministerial Regulation are the determination of criteria, methods and conditions for requesting a license, qualifications of applicants, issuance of licenses and renewal of licenses, including fees for issuing licenses to produce, import, export, distribute or possess Category 5 narcotics, which are extracts from cannabis or hemp plants, for medical, commercial or industrial purposes, medical or scientific analysis or research, and for the benefit of the government in preventing and suppressing drug-related offenses. When this draft ministerial regulation comes into effect, the production, import, export, distribution or possession of Category 5 narcotics, specifically extracts from cannabis or hemp plants, without a license under this ministerial regulation will be subject to a penalty under the Narcotics Code of up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine not exceeding 500,000 baht. However, if the action is for trade or causes the distribution to the public or is sold to a person under 18 years of age, the penalty will be even heavier: 1-15 years imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 - 1,500,000 baht. Source: Thai News Agency