Photo credit: My 420 Tours, CC4.0.
Thailand’s prime minister announced he plans to recriminalize cannabis by year-end, allowing only “usage for health and medical purposes”. This decision stems from concerns over the absence of regulation, which has led to cannabis accessibility to minors.
In 2022, Thailand emerged as a trailblazer in Asia by decriminalizing marijuana, aiming primarily to facilitate its medicinal applications. However, the unintended consequence was a surge in recreational consumption due to the lack of a comprehensive regulatory framework. There was a rapid expansion of a domestic retail sector, characterized by the emergence of tens of thousands of shops and businesses, with projections that the industry could reach a value of up to US$1.2 billion by 2025.
The Ministry of Public Health (MPH) has prepared a new bill that the former minister, Cholnan Srikaew, aimed to pass before the end of this year. The proposed bill would clearly state approved medicinal uses of cannabis and banned consumption methods. However, Srikaew lost his job in a recent cabinet reshuffle. The new minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, wants to hear people's opinions before deciding on cannabis's future. He promised a swift process.
Interior minister Anutin Charnveerakul, who leads the Bhumjai Thai Party that advocated for the decriminalization of marijuana during the previous administration, said his party no longer oversees MPH.
"We must allow the current minister to set the policy, but we should present why cannabis offers more benefits than harm. We'll provide comprehensive information, followed by a vote in the meeting. Whatever the decision, we'll respect it," he remarked.
He also emphasized that MPH and the National Committee for Prevention and Suppression of Drugs should handle this issue because the effects of cannabis can be scientifically proven, rather than being based on emotions or feelings. He further stated that numerous foreign owners of marijuana shops should face arrest, and that only those authorized by MPH should be allowed to operate cannabis shops.
Thailand’s Cannabis Future Network (CFN) issued a statement in response to the prime minister’s announcement, stressing the importance of defining addictive substances based on scientific evidence. They urged the MPH to conduct a comparative analysis of the benefits and harms of cannabis, alcohol, and cigarettes. Prasitchai Nunual, CFN secretary-general, told Reuters, “If scientific results show that cannabis is worse than alcohol and cigarettes then they can relist it as a narcotic. If cannabis is less harmful, they should list cigarettes and alcohol as narcotics too.”