The Ministry of Public Health issued an order late on Tuesday (June 24) prohibiting the sale of cannabis for recreational use and making it mandatory for any retail purchase to require a doctor’s prescription.
The new rules will come into effect once they are published in the Royal Gazette, which could happen within days, reports the Bangkok Post.
“Cannabis will be classified as a narcotic in the future,” Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin declared on Tuesday.
The move by the Pheu Thai government is expected to plunge into limbo an industry estimated to be worth over US$1 billion that has boomed since cannabis was taken off the country’s narcotics list in 2022.
The push for new controls on recreational use of cannabis comes just days after the Bhumjaithai Party, which had championed its legalisation, withdrew from the ruling coalition amid a long-running political dispute.
Unfettered recreational use of cannabis has led to many complaints in some parts of the country, especially in tourist areas like Phuket, where there are an estimated 1,500 weed shops.
Nationwide, there are about 18,000 cannabis shops and a surge in cannabis-related health issues has become noticeable, said Damrongkieat Pinijkarn, secretary of the Pattaya Entertainment Association.
He said the new rules would foster a better tourism and living atmosphere in Pattaya.
Over the past three years, he said, many cannabis stores have exploited the absence of a law or any clear regulations to sell weed in all parts of the seaside resort city, putting locals and children at risk, said Mr Damrongkieat.
Many tourists and locals have complained about weed smoking in public areas, such as on the streets and beaches, disturbing their well-being, he added.
After former prime minister Srettha Thavisin attempted unsuccessfully to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic, some cannabis store operators decided to close their shops, said Mr Damrongkieat.
The latest development would prompt more of them to quit, he said, if it is backed up by stricter regulations and enforcement to stop practices that sometimes include bribing police to look the other way.
He said the police can now arrest both operators and smokers who clearly violate the current regulations.
Eventually, Mr Damrongkieat said, the number of cannabis stores is expected to decline to a level that actually matches the demand for medical purposes.
He also stressed that the government should clearly communicate to foreigners how the new stricter rules will be applied. If possible, it should also consider relief measures for affected operators, who have already invested in the business. (Story continues below)
Rule deemed ‘unnecessary’
Pongchanok Wisetraksakul, operations manager of a cannabis store in Phuket, said it is not necessary to put cannabis back on the narcotics list to drive the wellness and medical industry.
Instead, he said, the government should focus on regulating shops that do not have licences or standard measures.
Mr Pongchanok said that while his store is ready to comply with the new rules, many others are left frustrated, since no relief measures have been offered if they have to close down.
He said operators of the majority of the stores that have opened in Phuket have yet to recover their investment.
The average budget for a store runs from B500,000 up to B10 million.
Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, vice-president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said the new regulation should make tourists feel more comfortable, particularly seniors and families with children.
To curb widespread consumption, he said the government could also initiate a proper zoning for cannabis stores.
Unregulated access to cannabis has created serious social problems, particularly for children and young people, said government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub.
“The policy must return to its original goal of controlling cannabis for medical use only,” he said in a statement.
The new push has left some cannabis industry participants, like Punnathat Phutthisawong, who works at the Green House Thailand dispensary in Bangkok, stunned.
“This is my main source of income,” said Punnathat, 25. “Many shops are probably just as shocked because a lot of them invested heavily.”
The cannabis sector could have transformed Thai agriculture, medicine and tourism, but uncertainty and policy reversals have stymied any sustainable growth, said cannabis activist Chokwan ‘Kitty’ Chopaka.
“The cannabis industry has become a hostage to politics,” she said.
On Wednesday, there was still a steady trickle of customers ‒ mainly tourists ‒ coming into cannabis shops in Bangkok’s Khao San Road area, among them Daniel Wolf, who is visiting from Australia.
“There are shops everywhere, so how do they reverse this? I don’t think they can,” he said, “It’s absolutely insane.”