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.
H/T: www.forbes.com
