Towards purely medical regulation for Thai cannabis?

While the country was first in Asia to decriminalize cannabis in 2022, Thailand is now seeking to regulate the various uses of cannabis. And if the recreational use of cannabis has never been legalized, In fact, it is widely practiced and has led to the opening of several thousand stores, much to the delight of tourists and sometimes to the misfortune of locals.

Many people have complained about the public consumption, particularly in Bangkok or in seaside tourist towns. But above all, the current government is no longer the one that decriminalized, and the previous one failed to pass any cannabis regulation before leaving office.

It seems that this change in policy will be short-lived, with Thailand's new Prime Minister declaring his intention to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic by the end of 2024 and that the country's cannabis stores would be closed by April 2025.

The announcement comes as no surprise given the number of anti-cannabis statements Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has made since taking office.

In a Facebook post, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin declared his intention to ban the recreational use of cannabis. Thepsutin also declared that only cannabis flowers would be reclassified as Category 5 narcotics, a category that prohibits production, import, export, sale and possession for non-medical use.

Cannabis leaves, branches, roots, stems and seeds can still be used for approved health and medical applications. Hemp, which has has also been removed from the list category 5, will not be subject to similar restrictions.

Above all, the Minister announced that a license will be required for those who grow, export and possess cannabis for medical and research purposes, although the details of the licensing procedure are clearly still being worked out.

«The licensing system must not impose an unreasonable burden on the public,» he said in a Facebook post, adding that there would be a grace period to allow the public to adjust.

Pro-cannabis groups protested Srettha's decision, saying it could damage business confidence after the emergence of an industry whose value is expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2025.