Thailand To Ban Recreational Cannabis Use by Year-End

Facts

• Thailand's Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew told Reuters on Wednesday that the government will ban the recreational use of marijuana by the end of 2024 and only allow the drug's use for medical purposes.¹
• In 2018, Thailand became the first Southeast nation to legalize medical marijuana, while it fully decriminalized cannabis in June 2022. Consequently, tens of thousands of cannabis shops opened across the country in an industry projected to be worth $1.2B by next year.²
• According to a draft bill released in January, using cannabis 'for entertainment or pleasure' in Thailand will be a crime punishable by a 60K baht (about $1.7K) fine.³
• In addition, those selling cannabis for recreational use will face jail terms of up to a year, or a fine of up to 100K baht ($2.8K), or both. Meanwhile, cannabis farming without a license could attract prison sentences of up to three years and fines from 20K baht ($560) to 300K baht ($8K).⁴
• The proposed law, which Srikaew argues seeks 'to prohibit the wrong usage of cannabis,' is also expected to ban advertising and marketing campaigns for cannabis buds and extracts. It comes after the country's parliament rejected an earlier proposal in November.⁵

Sources: ¹CNBCTV18, ²South China Morning Post, ³Associated Press, ⁴Reuters and ⁵CNN.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Euronews. It was time to crack down on cannabis, which has been poorly regulated since its legalization nearly two years ago. Moreover, its recreational use has not only caused drug-fueled violence and substance abuse issues among young people, including children, but it has also substantially increased people seeking treatment for cannabis-related psychological issues. Thailand must drive the economy, but not at the expense of public health.
• Narrative B, as provided by Associated Press. Banning the recreational use of cannabis would hugely impact tourism as well as hurt the growing multi-billion-dollar industry, and leave small business owners and farmers without a livelihood. Also, because the move would be impractical to implement given how big the industry has grown, the government must call for more discussion on the best way to control a traditional herb or fix lax enforcement of existing regulations before putting cannabis back on the narcotics list.

Predictions