Thailand’s New Government to Ban Cannabis for Recreational Use
Thailand’s cannabis landscape may change soon as the Southeast Asian country is to ban recreational use of cannabis.
The new Thai government has introduced a bill to amend the current cannabis legislation in order to ban the recreational use of cannabis after decriminalization has led the country to flourish cannabis stores around the country.
Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew signed last weekend a bill to amend the current cannabis legislation, emphasizing that it can’t be used recreationally, as reported by local news media outlets.
Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to decriminalize recreational cannabis in 2022 after regulating its medical use in 2018. However, the absence of regulations led to a proliferation of cannabis shops selling products without oversight. This prompted the newly elected government in 2023 to review the country’s cannabis policy and establish clear legislation.
Under the proposed legislation, cannabis will be strictly for medical use, explicitly prohibiting its recreational use. Additionally, the legislation specifies that authorized stores can only sell parts of the cannabis plant that are legally allowed, likely excluding the plant’s flowers due to their THC content.
The proposed legislation has not yet clarified whether a medical certificate will be necessary to purchase medical cannabis. Although legally registered cannabis stores are unlikely to lose their licenses, they will only be allowed to sell parts of the cannabis plant that are legal in Thailand.
In that regard, the proposed legislation aims to assist law enforcement. By making products containing more than 0.2% THC illegal, it aims to facilitate the prosecution of individuals who use cannabis recreationally.
If the government agrees to the bill’s principles, it will then be submitted to the Lower House for review.
In a post on Facebook, the Thai Cannabis Future Writing Network, a cannabis group in Thailand, issued a statement criticizing the proposed legislation, stating that Cholnan signed the bill without consulting stakeholders, as promised.
The 2023 Thai general election ushered in a new government strongly opposed to recreational cannabis use. They pledged to revise the existing cannabis policy, which has led to an unregulated market and attracted criticism from various segments of society.
While cannabis was initially decriminalized for personal use and its cultivation was primarily intended for industrial purposes, the sale of cannabis products for recreational use quickly grew across the country.
As lawmakers failed to put in place the necessary regulations to oversee this expanding market, the recreational cannabis industry thrived without adequate oversight or regulation. This not only impacted domestic consumption but also spurred cannabis tourism, a new segment emerging from the country’s relaxed cannabis restrictions that has the potential to attract tourists from around the world.
But now it remains to be seen how strict the regulations for cannabis consumption for recreational use will be and whether the proposed legislation will be subject to amendments.
Some pressure to limit restriction of the use of cannabis for recreational use may come from former Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who was instrumental in the decriminalization of cannabis. In May, he even proposed distributing one million cannabis plants with a THC level below 0.2% to households nationwide strictly for medical use. His influence could potentially prevent a tightening of current cannabis regulations. However, now serving as the Minister of the Interior, it remains to be seen whether he will influence the decision or how much weight his opinions will carry.
