Thailand cannabis bill could be up in smoke as no joint decision reached

Thailand’s parliament is running out of time to pass a much-awaited bill to regulate wider use of cannabis as lawmakers remained divided over key provisions of the legislation, leaving the nation’s fast-growing industry in a regulatory limbo.

The House of Representatives failed to conclude the second reading of the bill on Wednesday, the last session earmarked for the controversial legislation before it goes into a recess next week.

The delay was caused by some factions of lawmakers arguing that the bill lacked the teeth to prevent recreational use of cannabis and demanding the plant be listed as a narcotic again.

With Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha planning to dissolve parliament next month before polls slated for May, the fate of the bill will depend on the next government. A bill typically needs to be passed by a majority of the members at three readings, before being sent for a Senate approval to become law.

Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis last year by delisting the plant as a narcotic but has since struggled to prevent its use for recreational purpose and a mushrooming of dispensaries selling everything from biscuits and cosmetics laced with its extracts.