Thailand legalizes growing and selling cannabis

Recreational use of marijuana remains banned in the country. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Thailand legalizes growing and selling cannabis [A worker tends to cannabis plants at a farm in Chonburi province, eastern Thailand, June 5, 2022.] Credit: Sakchai Lalit/AP Thailand Thailand has legalized growing cannabis plants at home and selling them, but recreational use of the crop is still banned. The move is an attempt to [boost agriculture and tourism](. The government has even given out a million cannabis seedlings to its citizens. And clinics are now freer to offer cannabis as a treatment. Thailand was the first country in the region to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana in 2018. The government says it also plans to release around 4,000 prisoners convicted of cannabis-related offenses, but anyone smoking in public still [risks arrest]( for up to three months and an $800 fine. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has also warned against tourists traveling to Thailand for recreational cannabis use. Algeria Algeria has suspended cooperation with Spain following Madrid’s decision to reverse its neutrality stance over the Western Sahara dispute, effectively ending a two-decade-old friendship treaty. The treaty deals with all trade except for gas supplies, and Algeria's banking association has [stopped all such payments]( to and from Spain. The Spanish foreign minister said his government will "firmly defend" its national interests, while stating that gas flows from Algeria — which account for nearly half of Spain's gas imports — remain unaffected. Morocco controls 80% of the Western Sahara — which is rich in phosphate and fisheries — while the Algerian-backed Polisario movement, that’s been demanding a referendum on independence, holds the rest. Rabat has [offered limited autonomy](, but insists it must retain sovereignty over the territory, a position that Spain officially endorsed in March. Iran The UN’s nuclear watchdog says that Iran has begun the [removal of 27 surveillance cameras]( from nuclear facilities across the country. The move will limit the IAEA’s ability to track Tehran's uranium enrichment program, which is said to be reaching closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. World powers censured Iran this week over the advances in its nuclear program. And the body passed a resolution reprimanding Tehran for not explaining traces of uranium found at three of its undeclared sites. Tensions have been high amid talks to [revive the 2015 nuclear deal](, which was meant to limit Iranian nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of international economic sanctions. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [‘Hope is not a plan’: Dr. Atul Gawande says global COVID funding is dwindling but the crisis continues]( [President Joe Biden meets with the White House COVID-19 Response Team on the latest developments related to the omicron variant in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus in Washington, Jan. 4, 2022.]( Credit: Andrew Harnik/AP/File Dr. Atul Gawande, a renowned surgeon and global health leader at USAID, talks with The World’s host Marco Werman about [plummeting resources]( in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic around the globe. 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It highlights the contributions of women and offers a place where younger generations can develop their talent once they have graduated from conservatories. 🎻 Listen to the story by The World's Manuel Ruedea [here](. 🎧 [The Bogotá Philharmonic Women's Orchestra performs at the Jorge Eliecer Gaitan theater in Bogotá, Colombia, June 1, 2022.] Credit: Manuel Rueda/The World In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.