• Thailand is set to do a U-turn on its lax approach to cannabis, officials say
• Top officials are now proposing heft fines and jail time for recreational use
Thailand is set to outlaw weed again just 18 months after the country decriminalized the drug.
The major U-turn follows a spike in hospital admissions and crime linked to cannabis, as well as the perception that children are getting hooked too easily.
Since June 2022, when marijuana was dropped as a controlled substance, hospitalizations for cannabis-induced psychological problems have doubled to 63,000 patients per year, while reports of drug-fueled violence and abuse have also risen.
Thailand became the first country in the Asia to legalize marijuana in 2019, when the Bhumjaithai party promised it would be a boon to crop farmers in the north.
But the decriminalization has given rise to a large un-regulated black market. Data shows more than 6,000 shops have sprouted in the country, many without licenses.
There has also been a boom in tourists visiting the country to use marijuana recreationally, helping to fund cannabis-themed cafes and hemp spas.
In response, the country’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has named weed a ‘big problem’ and vowed to take action — after being elected in August 2023.
Top officials are now proposing a bill that would make using cannabis ‘for entertainment or pleasure’ a crime punishable with a $1,700 fine (60,000 baht) and possibly a jail sentence of up to one year.
Last week, the country’s health minister Chonlanan Srikaew revealed he had recommended a draft bill that would ban recreational cannabis.