Two years after legalising it, Thailand set to ban recreational cannabis use

Just two years after it decriminalised its consumption, the government in Thailand has decided to move a bill urgently in the parliament banning the use of recreational cannabis, the country’s health ministry announced on Tuesday.

In June 2022, Thailand, under its previous government, struck off cannabis from the list of banned narcotics.

The move prompted the sprouting of several cannabis shops across the nation with many flagging concerns over its unrestricted use, urging for tighter legislations.

The kingdom’s health minister on Tuesday said the new bill — which bans the recreational use of cannabis — will be proposed to the cabinet meeting next week.

“The new bill will be amended from the existing one to only allow the use of cannabis for health and medicinal purposes,” Chonlanan Srikaew told reporters.

“The use for fun is considered wrong,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who took over the country’s governance in October last year, has been a strong advocate of restricted use of the drug.

Srettha warned in September that recreational cannabis use could cause “wider narcotic drug problems”.

The push for its ban held ground after many complained on social media that the venue of a concert held by British rock band Coldplay in Bangkok “smelled like marijuana.”

Thailand was once notorious for its tough drug laws, and people found with cannabis on them could face up to 10 years in prison and a hefty fine.

Decriminalisation was touted as a lucrative move for the tourism-heavy economy badly dented by the pandemic, with the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce predicting the market may be worth $1.2 billion by 2025.

The 2022 changes to the law opened the way for a legion of cannabis “dispensaries” to open, capitalising on confusion about the precise legal status of the drug.

With inputs from AFP