Thailand was the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis, but the experiment appears to have gone awry, as the Thai government this last week moved to backtrack the policies, and impose new rules designed to rein in the weed ‘scene’.
As of last Thursday (26), customers now need a doctor’s prescription to buy pot — limiting consumption of the plant to medical purposes only.
CNN reported:
“Thailand’s public health minister told CNN on Wednesday he hopes to eventually recriminalize cannabis as a narcotic, in what would be a major reversal from Thailand’s liberal approach since declassification, which saw a boom of dispensaries and weed cafes opening across the country, particularly in tourist areas.
‘This must be clearly understood: cannabis is permitted for medical use only’, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin told CNN.”
Thailand’s Health Ministry will now regulate cannabis as ‘a controlled herb’.
“That means licensed cannabis shops can now only sell to customers with a medical prescription. They are also required to keep detailed sales records and face regular inspections by authorities, Somsak said. New rules also put stricter controls on growers and farmers, ban commercial advertising and prohibit cannabis from being sold in vending machines or online.
More than 18,000 licensed cannabis shops across the country will have to adapt or risk closing. Penalties for sellers caught violating the new rules include up to one year in prison or a fine of 20,000 baht ($620), though the health ministry is proposing new legislation that would significantly increase this.”
Thai authorities also banned advertising of cannabis products, changing the scenery at tourist hotspots in Bangkok.
“We want to tell tourists they are welcome to enjoy Thailand’s culture and nature — but Thailand should not be seen as a destination for recreational cannabis use,” Somsak said.”
After the legalization, the government had intended to ‘regulate the industry’, but when it failed to do so, recreational use became rampant across the kingdom, particularly in areas popular with foreigners.
Read more:
UP IN SMOKE: Thailand to Back Down on Cannabis Legalization a Mere Two Years After Decriminalizing It
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