Thailand has proposed a new bill to regulate its cannabis industry and restrict marijuana uses to health and medical purposes, the latest effort to control recreational smoking after several policy u-turns.
Under the draft legislation, cannabis or its extracts will be allowed for medical treatment and research by state agencies besides its use in herbal, food and cosmetic products. The new bill was published earlier this week by the Public Health Ministry.
The draft bill appears to take a softer stance compared to previous government efforts to regulate the industry. For one, it no longer contains a clause that explicitly outlaws recreational use of cannabis, which was proposed in an earlier draft. It means the new government has abandoned a bid to re-classify the plant as a “narcotic.”
Still, anyone who consumes cannabis or its extracts for uses not specified in the bill will face a fine of up to 60,000 baht. The sellers of cannabis or its products for uses not specified under the law face a maximum one year jail term or 100,000 baht in fines, or both.
Such rules may hamper free use of cannabis in Thailand, which was the first country in Asia to decriminalise the plant in 2022. More than 9,400 cannabis dispensaries opened nationwide, with many in popular tourist areas and business districts in Bangkok and beyond.
