(CTN News) – A deputy prime minister said on Tuesday that Thailand would work toward legalizing marijuana for medicinal use, reversing plans to criminalize the plant, and changing the government’s ambiguous stance on cannabis.
Thailand decriminalized marijuana in 2022, becoming one of the first nations in Asia to do so without specific legislation governing it or rules prohibiting its use for recreational purposes.
However, the action resulted in a boom in recreational usage and the opening of tens of thousands of cannabis cafés and shops, raising concerns among the population about misuse.
Anutin Charnvirakul, the deputy premier, said that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had now agreed that legislation was the right course of action. Her party played a major role in advocating for marijuana legalization.
“I thank the prime minister for considering this matter and deciding on issuing an act,” Anutin said.
Shrestha, a member of a different party, has said he would re-criminalize cannabis owing to worries about misuse, with an exemption for medicinal use and study. The government has maintained that cannabis use for recreational purposes is not permitted.
According to Prommin Lertsuridej, secretary general to the prime minister, “It will be a matter of law and debated in parliament where there is already a draft law,” Reuters was informed.
“Whether it is a narcotic or not is up to parliament.”
Under the previous government, a draft of marijuana legislation was presented to the legislature; however, parliament was dissolved last year in advance of an election, thus no vote was held.
As Srettha has argued, action to tighten down on cannabis usage for recreational purposes was not immediately apparent.
The domestic marijuana retail market in Thailand has grown quickly, and by 2025, it is expected to be valued at up to $1.2 billion.
The second-largest party in the governing coalition, Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party, has pushed against recriminalizing marijuana and supported it for economic and health reasons—although it is not legally allowed for recreational use.
The most recent development, according to Nattabhorn Buamahakul, Managing Partner at government relations firm Vero Advocacy, showed that government parties were now better coordinating on the complicated cannabis problem.
“The policy reversal reflects greater alignment between the coalition parties when compared to last year when the government was formed,” Nattabhorn said.
Source: Reuters
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