Will Thailand reverse its legalization of cannabis?

The recent Thai elections, in which the party Move Forward overturned the the conservative party that had decriminalized cannabis, are causing local cannabis entrepreneurs to fear the worst

A proposal for Move Forward In fact, it aims to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic one year after its decriminalization. While the The legal framework is, in fact, still very lax and although no agreement had been reached on legalization under the previous government, 12,000 businesses received licenses to operate in the cannabis industry, and some 1.1 million people registered with the government to grow cannabis at home.

Conservative Policy of a Progressive Movement

The prospect of stricter regulations was not necessarily well received by the cannabis community. Some 5,200 people and 200 companies signed an online petition asserting that reclassifying cannabis as a narcotic would constitute a violation of people’s rights. And the young progressives who helped the opposition parties secure victory also felt let down.

«I thought they were supposed to move forward,» laments Mr. Suphamet Hetrakul of Teera Ventures, a cannabis farm owner and wholesaler, to Reuters, referring to the translation of Move Forward. «A reversal would undermine Thailand’s credibility.»

Given the proliferation of stores, growers, and consumers, will the Thai government be able to completely reverse course?

Regulate the market

The Move Forward intends to «reclassify cannabis as a controlled substance… with new laws regulating and supporting its beneficial uses.» And while the details are not yet known, it is clear that the party ultimately wants to regulate cannabis and oversee its market.

Last Thursday, a party representative, Sirikanya Tansakun, defended the proposal to reclassify cannabis, arguing that it was necessary to close the legal loophole. But she promised that businesses would receive support once the party passed the legislation in Parliament.

Although there appears to be little prospect of a crackdown, she said that unlicensed street vendors and smuggled drug imports would be stopped.

«Those who have invested legally will be protected and will be able to continue their activities,» Ms. Sirikanya told reporters.