Thailand’s government has once again flip-flopped on its stance towards cannabis, with lawmakers now saying they will work towards controlling the use of cannabis through legislation instead of re-listing it as a narcotic.
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told a press briefing that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin now agreed that legislation was appropriate.
“I would like to thank the prime minister for considering this issue and deciding to enact an act,” said Mr. Anutin, whose Bhumjaithai Party has long championed decriminalizing cannabis for medical and economic uses.
The deputy Prime Minister’s comments come after he met for talks with Prime Minister Srettha and Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin on Tuesday.
He said the prime minister reportedly gave guidelines to enact regulations to control the plant instead of re-listing it as a narcotic.
Thailand 2022 became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis, but the government failed to enact a law to govern it or create clear regulations to prevent its recreational use.
Thailand’s Cannabis Use Explodes
The move prompted an explosion of recreational use, cannabis cafes and cannabis retailers, along with public concern about its abuse.
Mr Anutin, then health minister under the Prayut Government, subsequently drafted a bill to regulate cannabis use, but it failed to get past the first reading before elections last year.
The current government led by the Pheu Thai Party has maintained that recreational use of cannabis would not be allowed under new regulations being drafted by the Ministry of Public Health.
Mr Srettha said earlier that the plant would be put back on the narcotics list, with exceptions allowed for medical use and research. He gave officials until the end of the year to draft the necessary rules.
Mr. Anutin said the government would now discuss plans for a draft bill to regulate the cannabis industry, and political parties might submit drafts to Parliament.
Proposed regulations to recriminalise cannabis have already been set in motion, but they have yet to clear the Narcotics Control Board. As a board member, Mr Anutin had vowed to vote against the plan.
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board had proposed making the changes effective from Jan 1, 2025, to give operators concerned about their legal status a few months grace period to adapt and apply for new licenses.
Thailand has seen rapid growth in the domestic retail sector for marijuana, with tens of thousands of shops and businesses springing up in the past two years in an industry projected to be worth up to $1.2 billion by 2025.
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