Thailand seeks legislative fix to regulate medical cannabis in latest policy shift

It appears Thailand is shifting its policy on cannabis again.

Political leaders in the Southeast Asia nation are now pushing for legislation to regulate medical cannabis sales and use, Bloomberg reported.

The policy reversal comes about two months after Thailand’s public health minister, Somsak Thepsutin, said the government planned to ban recreational cannabis and issue permits only for medical patients, cultivators and research purposes.

That hard-line position came not long after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin called for cannabis to be reclassified as an illegal substance.

The proposed policy shift would have essentially reversed Thailand’s 2022 move to decriminalize marijuana and led to widespread protests from cannabis advocacy groups, including store owners.

Now, however, government officials in Thailand plan to discuss a draft bill to regulate the cannabis industry and consider wider uses for the plant, according to Bloomberg.

Amid a largely unchecked marketplace since the 2022 decriminalization decision, thousands of cannabis stores opened, prompting politicians to address the issue.

Shortly after taking office in September 2023, Thavisin vowed to rewrite cannabis laws to allow only medical use in Thailand, the first Asian nation to decriminalize marijuana.