Last year Thailand decriminalised the possession and sale of Kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia whose leaves are used as a mild stimulant and painkiller. Thousands of legal cases for the possession or sale of Kratom were being dropped, and 121 inmates convicted in such cases would be released immediately. The decriminalisation of Kratom, which involved removing the drug from the official list of controlled narcotics, is the country’s latest move to liberalise its drug laws. In the past two years, Thailand has allowed regulated medical marijuana use as well as the licensed buying and growing of marijuana, and permitted households to grow up to six plants. Harsh penalties remain for hard drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine.