Thailand approves medical marijuana in New Year's 'gift'

A Thai activist with a marijuana tattoo on his face gathers with others during a campaign for the legalisation of medical marijuana near Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Panumas Sanguanwong/File Photo

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand approved marijuana for medical use and research on Tuesday, the first legalisation of the drug in a region with some of the world's strictest drug laws.

The junta-appointed parliament in Thailand, a country which until the 1930s had a tradition of using marijuana to relieve pain and fatigue, voted to amend the Narcotic Act of 1979 in an extra parliamentary session handling a rush of bills before the New Year's holidays.