Thailand Reverses Course And Will Regulate Cannabis Instead Of Prohibit It
In recent years Thailand has served as arguably the wildest nation on earth from a cannabis public policy observer standpoint. For many decades, Thailand had some of the harshest cannabis laws on the planet, which is why it was such a tectonic shift when Thailand decriminalized cannabis in June 2022.
Since June 2022, cannabis commerce has increased across many parts of Thailand, and the country is now a top international cannabis tourism destination. The increase in cannabis activity has resulted in calls by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to reverse course and reclassify cannabis as a narcotic, even though Thailand’s cannabis policies are working as intended.
Thailand’s historic cannabis policy shift in 2022 was designed to pave the way for the nation’s emerging cannabis industry to become a regional and international cannabis industry leader. Every household in the entire country could sign up initially to legally cultivate low-THC cannabis plants, which a reported 1.1 million citizens of Thailand have done.
During Thailand’s historic change in 2022, the nation’s Public Health Minister indicated that there would be no plant limit for the government’s cannabis cultivation program. Thailand’s government also gave away over 1 million cannabis seeds directly to households that signed up for the program.
A broad spectrum of government agencies in Thailand agreed to do their part to push Thailand’s emerging cannabis industry forward after the 2022 policy change. Researchers estimate that Thailand’s 2022 policy change resulted in roughly 12,000 cannabis dispensaries opening nationwide. The dispensaries operate on three-year licenses from the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicines and employ an estimated 60,000 people.
Mere weeks ago, Thailand was set to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic. However, in recent days Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin indicated that his prohibition policy pursuit would be abandoned, and instead of re-banning cannabis in Thailand, lawmakers would seek to properly regulate the nation’s emerging industry.
“According to the source, Srettha instructed Somsak to push for a bill to regulate the use of marijuana instead of reinstating the plant on the list of Category 5 Narcotics. The aim of the bill should be to ensure marijuana is used for medical purposes, research and for certain products.” stated The Nation in its local reporting.
Thailand was at risk of being the first nation in modern history to decriminalize cannabis and then re-criminalize it. Cannabis opponents around the globe were starting to point to Thailand as ‘evidence’ of ‘failed cannabis reform.’ They will now have to pivot their arguments, which will be no easy task given the fact that cannabis policy modernization is succeeding in many parts of the world.
Currently, cannabis is expressly legal for adult use at the national level in Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa. Additionally, regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot programs are operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and cannabis is legal for adult use in 24 U.S. states and Washington D.C.
Thailand’s cannabis policy differs from the previously mentioned jurisdictions in that only low-THC cannabis varieties are permitted.