Latest news with #decriminalization
Washington Post
a day ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Thailand goes back on decriminalized marijuana
Thailand, which decriminalized marijuana in 2022 — a first for the region — has reimposed a slate of renewed restrictions on the drug. Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin signed an order this week to bar sales of cannabis without a medical prescription. 'Cannabis will be classified as a narcotic in the future,' Thepsuthin said of the measure, which has since come into effect, in a statement cited in local outlets.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
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.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Thai Cannabis Industry Thrown Into Chaos as Government Aims to Recriminalize Weed
Three years after becoming the first Asian nation to decriminalize cannabis, Thailand is poised to reverse course amid political turmoil and now requires a prescription to buy cannabis at any of the 10,000 dispensaries that have sprung up since 2022. The new rules have thrown the fledgling industry into chaos and sparked criticism from pro-cannabis activists, who championed liberalization as a way to boost Thailand's wellness and tourism sectors. Dispensaries must now sell only cannabis produced by farms that have obtained the 'Good Agricultural and Collection Practices' certifications issued by the government, and amounts are capped at a 30-day supply per customer.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Thailand, the first country in Asia to legalise cannabis, is re-criminalising recreational sales
Thailand is further tightening control of cannabis by banning stores from selling the herb without a prescription. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in 2022, which boosted Thailand's tourism and farming, and spawned thousands of shops. But the country has faced public backlash over allegations that under-regulation has made the drug available to children and increased addiction rates. The ruling Pheu Thai Party previously promised to re-criminalise the drug, but faced strong resistance from its former partner in the coalition government, the Bhumjaithai Party. But last week, the Bhumjaithai Party, which supported fewer controls, quit the Coalition over a leaked phone call between Cambodia's former leader and Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, which exposed her apparent mishandling of cross-border tensions. On Tuesday, Thailand's health minister, Somsak Thepsutin, signed an order that banned shops from selling cannabis to customers for recreational use. The order also sought to reclassify cannabis buds as a controlled herb, but did not detail any penalty for violations. Phanurat Lukboon, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said his agency was ready to study and implement the regulation changes. He also said a study done by his agency last year found the number of people with cannabis addiction spiked significantly after it was decriminalised. The changes will take effect when it is published in the Royal Gazette, but it remains unclear when that will happen. Government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsu said unregulated access to cannabis created serious social problems, particularly for children and young people. "The policy must return to its original goal of controlling cannabis for medical use only," he said in a statement. The tightening regulations have left some cannabis industry members like Punnathat Phutthisawong, who works at a Bangkok dispensary, stunned. "This is my main source of income," Mr Phutthisawong, aged 25, told Reuters. Australian Daniel Wolf was one of many tourists visiting cannabis shops on Bangkok's Khao San Road. "There are shops everywhere, so how do they reverse this? I don't think they can, it's absolutely insane." The Thai Chamber of Commerce previously estimated the industry, which included medicinal products, could be worth $1.8 billion by 2025. Cannabis activist Chokwan Kitty Chopaka said the sector could have transformed Thai agriculture, medicine, and tourism, but uncertainty and policy reversals have stymied any sustainable growth, said AP/Reuters
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Thailand moves to re-criminalise cannabis in blow to $1bn industry
The Thai government is moving to tighten rules around the sale of cannabis, just three years after the kingdom decriminalised recreational use of the popular substance. Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday night ordered that cannabis use be restricted to medical use only, throwing the estimated $1bn industry into a state of uncertainty. Government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said cannabis had created serious social problems for young people, and the industry, which has boomed in recent years, needed to be scaled back. 'The policy must return to its original goal of controlling cannabis for medical use only,' Jirayu said in a statement. The order, however, is not law yet. It will need to be published in the official Royal Gazette to come into force, and the government has not indicated when that will happen. Thailand became the first country in Asia to fully decriminalise cannabis in 2022, in a move that has been wildly popular with tourists but less so among more conservative Thais. Thousands of cannabis stores have opened across Thailand in the past three years, although it has remained relatively unregulated despite multiple attempts by the government. The latest move to restrict cannabis use comes amid wider political turmoil in Thailand. Last week the Bhumjaithai Party, previously a champion of decriminalising cannabis, withdrew from the government's ruling coalition due to its mishandling of a border conflict with Cambodia. The Thai Chamber of Commerce previously estimated that the cannabis trade could be worth $1.2bn by 2025, although experts say it has not reached its full potential due to the uncertainty that has plagued regulation around the industry since it was decriminalised.
