Thailand intends to reinstate a ban on the recreational use of cannabis by the end of this year, although the drug will still be available for medical use, the country’s health minister Cholnan Srikaew said in a recent interview with Reuters. The announcement comes only 18 months after Thailand made headlines by becoming the first Asian country to fully decriminalise cannabis.
“Without the law to regulate [the recreational use of] cannabis, it will be misused,” the official said, arguing that cannabis was a gateway drug. “In the long run, it could lead to other drugs,” he told the news agency.
The initial decision to lift the ban on the drug reportedly originated in a proposal from Thailand’s deputy prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, who claimed that it would reduce the pressure on the nation’s prison system, as many prisoners were convicted of drug-related crimes.
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One week after the ban on recreational cannabis was lifted on 9 June 2022, authorities hastily introduced new regulations to minimise the drug’s misuse.
The decriminalisation of cannabis in the Southeast Asian country meanwhile led to the springing up of an industry for marijuana-related products, whose value is estimated to reach US$1.2 billion by 2025.
Prior to 2022, Thailand enforced strict laws on cannabis use, punishing those who were in possession of the drug with relatively harsh sentences.
