Recreational cannabis will be banned by the end of 2024, Thailand’s Health Minister Chornan Surikeo announced on Thursday. Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize medical cannabis in 2018, followed by recreational cannabis use in 2022.
Cheolnan Said In an interview with Reuters, he said the marijuana ban bill would be submitted to the cabinet for approval in March and should be passed by parliament by the end of the year.
The bill does not prohibit the medical use or cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes. “Under the new law, cannabis will be a controlled plant and will require a permit to grow,” Chornan explained.
The health minister said recreational cannabis should be banned because “misuse of cannabis has a negative impact on Thai children” and “can lead to other drugs in the long term.”
“If we don’t have laws to regulate cannabis, it will be misused,” he says. Said. “We drafted this law to prohibit the wrong use of cannabis. Any recreational use is wrong.”
Recreational cannabis has grown into a billion-dollar industry in Thailand over the past two years, with thousands of stores catering to users, especially in tourist areas. Chornan said the government will give stores time to adapt to the new rules and convert into licensed medical cannabis clinics if they wish to remain open.
The bill provides stiff penalties of approximately $1,700 for recreational use and $2,800 plus up to a year in prison for unauthorized sale. Chornan said the law would “discourage” people from growing marijuana at home, but he did not elaborate on how strongly the deterrent would be.
Before legalization, Thailand had some of the world’s toughest drug laws and penalties for violating them, including lengthy detentions at the infamous Bangkok Hilton and the gruesome Bang Kwan Central Prison.
Thailand appears to have quickly regretted legalizing recreational cannabis. The first salvo of regulations restricting private use was graffitied Literally a week after legalization went into effect in June 2022, it was sparked by soaring hospitalizations and at least one reported death from drug abuse.
Thai authorities were surprised at how quickly recreational cannabis shops and cafes sprang up and how much cannabis moved in those early days. The first wave of panicked regulatory reforms included laws banning marijuana from being smoked in public, taken to schools, and sold to pregnant women and people under 20. Cannabis vendors were now required to educate their customers about the potential dangers of using their products. Marijuana smoke was classified as an actionable public nuisance.
None of these measures satisfied opponents of recreational marijuana. pushed Looking towards further restrictions in the national elections in May 2023. The new Prime Minister, Sureta Tabisin, moved quickly to fulfill her campaign promise to ban recreational drug use.
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul Previously Minister of Health when Thailand’s military government legalized recreational cannabis. Anutin, who had promised that the drug would still be used mainly for medical purposes, was the most important politician surprised by the explosion of marijuana shops and perplexed by the surge in drug-related violence and disease. He was a great person. Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party, like nearly all other political parties, has pledged to decriminalize recreational cannabis during the 2023 election cycle.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) report In early February, there were reports that the last straw for recreational cannabis in Thailand may have been a Coldplay concert, where a strong odor of cannabis wafted through the venue, prompting many to comment on social media. complaints were received.
