Thailand says ban on recreational cannabis will ‘kick in like a bang’ by year-end

‘You can’t put the buds in jars and sell them for recreation any more, to use for fun at parties, any more. That will be illegal, and we’ll arrest you,’ Health Minister Cholnan said

A cannabis advocacy group fears the move could push the nascent industry underground again and force small businesses to close down

Reading Time:3 minutes

People walk past a cannabis dispensary store in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:35pm, 21 Feb 2024

Thailand wants to ban recreational use of cannabis by the end of this year, the nation’s health minister said, threatening to put thousands of marijuana shops and farms that have sprung up around the country since a decriminalisation drive two years ago out of business.

The Southeast Asian nation will seek to get a new cannabis bill – which will explicitly outlaw recreational use of cannabis – approved by lawmakers in the lower house by the end of October, before parliament goes into recess, Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said in an interview in Bangkok. That will follow a review by the cabinet next month, he said.

Liberal use of cannabis became a hot-button political issue heading into last year’s national elections, which took place a year after Thailand became the first nation in Asia to decriminalise cannabis. But a parallel effort to establish regulations around the marijuana industry failed, leaving a vacuum that many politicians said was fuelling drug addiction.

“It’s an issue of great concern to us, because the legal gap has led to free use of cannabis and there aren’t enough regulations to prevent misuse,” Cholnan said, defining “misuse” as anything not related to medical and health needs. “This bill will control cannabis, especially its buds, just as strictly as we would a drug.”

That move would pose an existential threat for growers, dispensaries and a vast number of firms that have cropped up across Thailand to meet a burgeoning demand for marijuana.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x