Thailand Prime Minister Seeks to Criminalize Weed in Reversal

Asia Pacific|Thailand Prime Minister Seeks to Criminalize Weed successful Reversal

Thailand’s premier minister, Srettha Thavisin, said connected Wednesday that helium wanted cannabis to beryllium re-listed arsenic a narcotic by the extremity of the year, a reversal 2 years aft the state became one of the archetypal successful Asia to decriminalize marijuana.

Mr. Srettha, who took bureau successful August, wrote connected societal media that helium wanted the Ministry of Health to alteration the laws truthful that marijuana could lone beryllium utilized for aesculapian and wellness reasons.

All marijuana income successful Thailand are technically for aesculapian purposes, but lax regulations mean that galore businesses openly merchantability dried marijuana flowers and amerciable imports. Smoking weed successful nationalist is besides prohibited.

Thailand decriminalized marijuana successful June 2022, giving emergence to a home industry that has precocious been challenged by contention and oversupply. There are thousands of registered dispensaries successful the country, and cannabis is prescribed astatine hundreds of accepted medicine clinics. Foreign investors person besides backed the operation of high-tech indoor cannabis farms.

The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said successful a 2022 study that the home cannabis manufacture could beryllium worthy $1.2 cardinal by 2025.

After Thailand’s parliament selected Mr. Srettha, a existent property tycoon, to beryllium premier minister, manufacture experts expected that the caller authorities would tighten regulations astir the drug’s cultivation and sale. Mr. Srettha told reporters up of a May 2023 wide predetermination that his governmental party, Pheu Thai, did not privation “full cannabis legalization” and would enactment its usage lone for aesculapian purposes.

Many countries successful the Asia-Pacific portion person harsh cause laws and springiness agelong situation presumption for marijuana possession, depletion oregon trafficking. In Singapore, astatine slightest 2 radical were executed for marijuana charges last year.

In 2019, Thailand became the archetypal state successful Southeast Asia to let the usage of marijuana for aesculapian purposes.