Thailand’s cannabis buyers might soon need a doctor’s note. But business operators say a draft bill’s clampdown on recreational weed could derail a fast-growing industry and hinder health advancements.
The cannabis industry has flourished in Thailand since laws about the drug’s cultivation and sale were changed. (Photo: Jack Board/CNA)
On a weekday afternoon, more and more people start slowly filing into a subterranean plaza off Bangkok’s iconic Khaosan Road – for decades a tourist hub in the Thai capital.
The underground space, formerly home to a supermarket, is lined with small shops and tables and chairs and is cool and breezy. It has to be.
Air filtration systems are required to be installed here to keep the mostly international tourist crowd comfortable, and more pertinently, clear the haze of thick marijuana smoke.
This is Plantopia, also known as Weed City. Multiple stores exclusively sell cannabis and related paraphernalia – and customers can smoke it on the spot.
For nearly two years, Thailand has witnessed the runaway expansion of the cannabis industry. It is estimated that some 20,000 registered dispensaries have opened since 2022, when the country became the first in Southeast Asia to decriminalise the recreational use of marijuana. Its medicinal use was legalised since 2018.
But the days of such unfettered, unrestricted cannabis use in Thailand could be numbered, as the government debates how to place stricter guardrails on the rampant industry.
The country’s health minister is central to a push to ban the recreational use of cannabis by the end of the year. According to Dr Cholnan Srikaew, changes to the law are currently being negotiated before being presented to Cabinet this month.
A Bill is expected to be presented to parliament before the current session ends in October.
In an interview with Reuters on Feb 29, Dr Cholnan suggested that cannabis would only be allowed for medical purposes and heavy fines would be issued for recreational use or farming without a permit.
“Under the new law, cannabis will be a controlled plant, so growing it would require permission. We will support (cannabis cultivation) for the medical and health industry,” he said.
Some experts support tighter regulations, warning against the blurring of lines between medical and recreational use. But business operators expect the legislation – which is still being hotly contested by different government factions – to cripple small shops and farms, confuse international visitors and stymie genuine health advancements being developed in the medical cannabis field.
Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/cannabis-thailand-draft-bill-business-4176821
