Latest news with #DepartmentofThaiTraditionalandAlternativeMedicine
Time Out
03-07-2025
- Health
- Time Out
Cannabis dispensaries must become medical clinics
When Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022, it wasn't just legislation that shifted – it was the entire mood. Overnight, the country known for some of the world's most punitive drug laws became Asia's green frontier. Khao San Road turned into a sort of tropical Amsterdam, only stickier. Shopfronts hawked pre-rolls beside pad Thai stalls. Dispensaries popped up like convenience stores, each promising 'wellness' with a wink. But the regular high didn't last. This year, just three years after the grand opening, the shutters are being pulled back down – slowly, bureaucratically, but unmistakably. The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine now insists dispensaries must transition into medical clinics. A doctor on-site, a clinic licence, prescription slips. Paperwork over pleasure. The message is clear: fun time's over. The irony, of course, is that many of these shops had licences. Around 18,000, in fact. But of those, only a fraction qualify as actual medical facilities. Come November, roughly 12,000 will be up for renewal – and unless they conform to the new rules, they'll go the way of the hookah bars before them. Another boom gone bust. The government says it's a necessary correction. There are concerns, after all. Kids getting high. Tourists lighting up on beaches like it's a full moon party every night. A whiff of moral panic, served with a side of public health anxiety. The kind of thing that gets talked about at dinner tables and school meetings. But then, it was never really about medicine, was it? The fanfare in 2022 wasn't about doctors or dosage forms. It was about a new kind of freedom. The legalisation was free, yes, and it cracked open something – a rare moment when Thailand let loose. When old norms gave way to something riskier, greener, less scripted. The new regulations want to write the script back in – sober, clinical, controlled. One could argue it's damage control. That things went too far, too fast. But there's something uncomfortable about watching a country recoil from its own permissiveness. It reveals how fragile progress can be, how quickly reform is repackaged as a misstep. Perhaps the bigger question isn't whether weed should be recreational or medicinal. It's why freedom, once granted, is so quickly deemed dangerous. What does it say when a society allows liberation – only to fear its consequences?
Bangkok Post
02-07-2025
- Health
- Bangkok Post
Medical clinics to replace cannabis dispensaries
Cannabis dispensaries must transition into medical clinics if they are to continue to run legally, says the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine. The department's chief, Dr Somlerk Jeungsmarn, said it is working on a draft of the new ministerial regulation to regulate the use of the plant for medical purposes, as the government moves to tighten cannabis rules. This would include having a medical professional stationed at the shop who has a licence to sell cannabis, he said. The dispensaries must then be registered as a hospital or clinic under the Hospital Act. The ministerial regulation would include how to issue drug prescriptions, which will be required to access cannabis medical products. The department has issued 18,000 licences to cannabis shops nationwide but only a few operate as a hospital or a clinic. Among them, 12,000 will have their licences renewed this November, and they must comply with the new ministerial regulation by that date, he said. "If they want to sell cannabis, they will have to switch to being a hospital or clinic under our new regulation; otherwise, they won't be able to sell it. "We hope that the new regulation will be implemented within the next three months, before the period of licence renewals in November," he said. Observers see this as bringing an end to cannabis dispensaries that issue the plant for recreational purposes. The department has a plan to control cannabis medical product prices.
Boston Globe
27-06-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Thailand starts banning the sale of cannabis without a prescription
Sellers that violate the new order could face a maximum one-year jail term and a 20,000-baht ($614) fine. The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, in charge of enforcing regulations related to cannabis, held an online meeting Friday with officials across the country to prepare them for the change. Officials said during the meeting that shops that are currently licensed can continue to operate but they must get their products only from pharmaceutical-grade farms that are certified by the department, and must declare sources of their products to authorities every month. Those farms must also acquire a license for selling cannabis. The order says shops can only sell a limited amount of cannabis to those with a prescription, enough for personal use in 30 days. They also said the department is setting up clear guidelines for the prescription of cannabis and enforcement of the new regulations. They said they will give time for the shops to adjust, but did not say exactly how long that timeframe would be. Advertisement Chokwan 'Kitty' Chopaka, a cannabis advocate who used to own a dispensary in Bangkok, said there is still a lot confusion about the new rules, with some officials themselves apparently unsure what to do. Advertisement 'Owners are freaking out, a lot of them are scared,' she said. The move to decriminalize in 2022 had boosted Thailand's tourism and farming industries, and spawned thousands of shops. But the country has faced public backlash over allegations that a lack of regulation made the drug available to children and caused addiction. Treechada Srithada, spokesperson for the Health Ministry, said in a statement Thursday that cannabis use in Thailand would become 'fully for medical purposes.' She said shops that violate the order will be closed and the ministry will also tighten requirements for approval of a new license in the future. She said there are curently about 18,000 shops that hold a license to sell cannabis. Chokwan argued that the rules were already in place, but what was lacking was the enforcement. She also said the abrupt change was politically motivated. 'We know we need regulation. We need control. The existing rule that is in the announcement previously needs to be enforced. Can we enforce that first? Before we move on to something that is harder and people don't understand what's going on,' she said. The ruling Pheu Thai Party previously promised to criminalize the drug again, but faced strong resistance from its former partner in the coalition government, the Bhumjaithai Party, which supported decriminalization. A worker tended to cannabis plants at a farm in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, Thailand. Sakchai Lalit/Associated Press Bhumjaithai quit the coalition last week over a leaked phone call between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Health Minister Somsak signed the new order just days after Bhumjaithai left the government. The move to restrict cannabis sales came after officials last month revealed that cannabis smuggling cases involving tourists had soared in recent months. Somsak told reporters Tuesday he would like to relist cannabis as a narcotic in the future. Advertisement Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board said a study conducted by the agency last year found the number of people addicted to cannabis had spiked significantly after it was decriminalized. A group of cannabis advocates said they will rally at the Health Ministry next month to oppose the change and any attempt to make it a criminal offense again to consume or sell cannabis.
27-06-2025
- Health
Thailand starts banning the sale of cannabis without a prescription
BANGKOK -- Thailand has started banning the sale of cannabis to those without a prescription, three years after becoming the first country in Asia to decriminalize the plant. The new order, signed by Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin earlier this week, came into effect Thursday after it was published in the Royal Gazette. It bans shops from selling cannabis to customers without a prescription and reclassifies cannabis buds as a controlled herb. The order cited a punishment from the 1999 Act of Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine Wisdom, in which a violation would result in a maximum one-year jail term and a 20,000-baht ($614) fine. The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, in charge of enforcing regulations related to cannabis, held a meeting Friday with officials across the country to prepare them for the change. The move to decriminalize in 2022 had boosted Thailand's tourism and farming industries, and spawned thousands of shops. But the country has faced public backlash over allegations that a lack of regulation made the drug available to children and caused addiction. Treechada Srithada, spokesperson for the Health Ministry, said in a statement Thursday that cannabis use in Thailand would become 'fully for medical purposes.' She said shops that violate the order will be closed and the ministry will also tighten requirements for approval of a new license in the future. She said there are curently 18,000 shops that hold a license to sell cannabis. The ruling Pheu Thai Party previously promised to criminalize the drug again, but faced strong resistance from its former partner in the coalition government, the Bhumjaithai Party, which supported decriminalization. Bhumjaithai quit the coalition last week over a leaked phone call between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. The move to restrict cannabis sales came after officials last month revealed that cannabis smuggling cases involving tourists had soared in recent months. Somsak told reporters Tuesday he would like to relist cannabis as a narcotic in the future. Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board said a study conducted by the agency last year found the number of people addicted to cannabis had spiked significantly after it was decriminalized. A group of cannabis advocates said Wednesday that the change in regulations was politically motivated and that they will rally at the Health Ministry next month to oppose the change and any attempt to make it a criminal offense again to consume or sell cannabis.
Time Out
28-05-2025
- Health
- Time Out
High and dry? Thailand's cannabis scene faces prescription rewrite
It's been almost three years since Thailand legalised marijuana and in that time, weed cafes have popped up everywhere, especially around nightlife hotspots. For some, the scent of the herb is an open invitation, but for others, it's less welcome. As the buzz grows louder, so does the debate. Since legalisation, a few downsides have surfaced, mainly because clear rules haven't quite kept up. Unregulated edibles have hit the market without proper quality checks, public marijuana smoking has led to complaints and there's been a reported increase in minor crimes connected to unregulated cannabis use. On top of all this, enforcing age restrictions has presented its own challenge. Now, a shift is on the horizon as Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin calls for new regulations to roll back recreational use and crack down on abuses. At a press conference on May 21, the Public Health Minister said cannabis users in Thailand might soon need to show a medical certificate from a licensed doctor or traditional Thai medicine practitioner to prove they're using it for health reasons. This rule would apply to both locals and visitors. Under the latest proposal, Mr Somsak has asked the Ministry of Public Health to draft new regulations within 40 days. This plan is also supported by Dr Somlerk Jeungsmarn, director-general of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, who explained at a press conference that medical certificates might soon be required to prove users suffer from conditions such as seizures, headaches, pain or insomnia. There could also be limits on usage, such as a permitted dosage for one month. Using cannabis beyond that period would no longer be considered medical and could lead to prosecution. Regarding penalties, he mentioned that imprisonment is being considered. The journey toward legalising marijuana in Thailand began on June 9, 2022, when the country officially removed the entire cannabis plant including its flowers and leaves, but excluding extracts with high THC content from its category five narcotics list. This change decriminalised cultivation, possession and consumption. The move was motivated by hopes of boosting pot tourism and developing a new industry around cannabis-based products, ranging from medical and herbal remedies to food and cosmetics. However, a comprehensive law to regulate recreational use has been under ongoing debate and development ever since. On the other hand, the news hasn't gone down well with cannabis advocates. Many have expressed disappointment over the plan. It's still unclear whether the new rule will pass through parliament, but one thing's certain is that change is coming for weed in Thailand. Some people might benefit, while others could face more challenges. What do you think? Will this new regulation do the country any good?
