Thailand Aims to Relist Cannabis as Narcotic
2 min read
Thailand cannabis legal u-turn : just three years after becoming the first Asian nation to decriminalize cannabis, Thailand is readying new legislation that will restrict the cannabis only for medical use
Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand revealed that medical cannabis allowance is in accordance with Pheu Thai party’s policy that willing to allow only medical cannabis and will expedite the process to specify that cannabis can only be used for medical purposes as some compliance need to delist its to narcotic drug list
Mr. Somsak Thepsuthin, Public Health Minister stated that the new cannabis control announcement was signed on June 23 and will take effect immediately upon the draft announcement’s publication on the Royal Gazette online as the new regulations including : 1) Cannabis purchasers need a doctor’s prescription. 2) Growers that sell these products must hold a Thai GACP certification. 3) Physicians may prescribe up to 30 grams of cannabis buds every month, for a period of 30 days at a time. 4) Enhance the requirements for granting permits to sell and export cannabis and the authority have the rights to deny license renewable if the shop has been suspension once a time
Mr. Somsak said that he would then move forward with putting forward a draft cannabis control announcement that would restrict cannabis shops to only having doctors prescribe medication. He would also push for cannabis to be reclassified as a narcotic drug, as this has been the Pheu Thai Party’s policy since its inception.
“Following this, we have dispatched a convoy of public health officers to raid stores across the country, and we will direct the Public Health Department to conduct weekly searches in order to keep criminals under control. I’m prepared to issue an order right away to close any illegal businesses for ten days. Following this, stores will be mobilized to conduct a search of the premises, particularly those associated with foreign visitors who come to utilize the services,” Mr. Somsak stated.
According to a Ministry of Public Health source, the ministry wants to finish the effort to put cannabis back on the list of illegal substances by the middle of 2026, which means that everything will start over. However, The new regulation is done by enacting stricter regulations that make it more difficult to access and by pursuing a political agenda that wants to outlaw cannabis.
