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yesterday

Thailand Reverses Cannabis Decriminalization to Medical-Only Use

It takes effect immediately after Bhumjaithai’s exit from the ruling coalition, empowering the health ministry to require a doctor at every dispensary.

FILE -A worker tends to cannabis plants at a farm in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, Thailand, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
FILE- A staff prepares flower bud of cannabis for a customer at cannabis shop Bangkok, Thailand, July 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
FILE--A customer sits outside a cannabis shop in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, Thailand, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
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Overview

  • A health ministry notification signed on June 24 limits cannabis to medical use with prescriptions required and takes effect imminently.
  • New regulations will mandate a licensed doctor at each dispensary for license applications and renewals.
  • The policy shift follows the Bhumjaithai Party’s departure from Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s coalition, clearing the way for recriminalization.
  • Officials plan to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic in a future step, although no timeline has been announced.
  • Over 10,000 dispensaries opened nationwide since decriminalization in 2022, fueling concerns over unregulated recreational use and cross-border smuggling.