Marijuana was supposed to help Thailand. Why is the country planning to ban it again?
6 months, 1 week ago

Marijuana was supposed to help Thailand. Why is the country planning to ban it again?

LA Times  

Two years ago, soon after Thailand became the first Asian nation to decriminalize cannabis, Sarunyu Toprasert and three friends joined a rush of pot entrepreneurs and launched the Channel Weed Store. “It is undeniable that cannabis poses health risks, both mentally and physically, especially for young people and pregnant women,” the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand said in a June statement. “The news will say cannabis caused someone to attack an elderly man, but then it turns out that person was using other substances as well,” said Sarunyu, the dispensary owner. “Pheu Thai won a lot of votes on their anti-drug policy in the last 20 years,” said Atthachai Homhuan, an attorney specializing in cannabis cases. “Some people have used their entire savings to invest in the business,” said Rattapon Sanrak, a weed activist and the founder of Thailand’s first legal dispensary in 2022.

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History of this topic

Why Thailand legalized marijuana — and then almost banned it again
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Why Thailand legalized marijuana — and then almost banned it again

Salon  

In sticky, sweaty Bangkok, there seemed to be more weed shops than there were Buddhist temples — and there were a lot of temples. “I don’t want my children to grow up in a country where drugs are easy to find and cannabis is liberalized,” Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the Pheu Thai Party, declared at a campaign rally. Another activist …

Cannabis advocates in Thailand protest a proposal to ban again its general use
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Cannabis advocates in Thailand protest a proposal to ban again its general use

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — Two years after marijuana was decriminalized in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its advocates marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on general use. Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, some carrying potted marijuana plants, gathered at the United Nations headquarters in central Bangkok Monday as they prepared to head to the Government House, nearly …

Thailand’s prime minister wants to outlaw cannabis, 2 years after it was decriminalized
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Thailand’s prime minister wants to outlaw cannabis, 2 years after it was decriminalized

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — The prime minister of Thailand, the first country in Asia to legalize cannabis two years ago, said Wednesday that he wants to outlaw the drug again amid concerns that the lack of regulation had made it available to children and increased crimes. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin wrote on the social media platform X that he asked the Health …

Thailand may make marijuana illegal again, taking a U-turn from earlier decriminalization of cannabis plant
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Thailand may make marijuana illegal again, taking a U-turn from earlier decriminalization of cannabis plant

Live Mint  

Thailand’s new health minister said he plans to review the country’s cannabis policy, signaling a possible u-turn that could make marijuana a narcotic again after it became the first country in Asia to decriminalize the plant. Where are we meeting on the issue, and how?” Somsak’s comments signal yet another bump in Thailand’s cannabis liberalization that’s pitched as a way …

Thailand to criminalise use of cannabis, drug advocacy group says 'list cigarettes, alcohol as narcotics too'
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Thailand to criminalise use of cannabis, drug advocacy group says 'list cigarettes, alcohol as narcotics too'

India TV News  

Thailand will re-list cannabis as a narcotic by year-end, its Prime Minister said on Tuesday, in a stunning U-turn just two years after becoming one of the first countries in Asia to decriminalise its recreational use. "I want the health ministry to amend the rules and re-list cannabis as a narcotic," Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on social media platform …

Thailand’s flourishing cannabis culture under threat as gov’t seeks ban
9 months, 1 week ago

Thailand’s flourishing cannabis culture under threat as gov’t seeks ban

Al Jazeera  

Thodsapol Hongtong is enjoying a smoke with his friends at the Green Party, a venue where recreational cannabis enthusiasts meet in the Thai capital Bangkok to chat and have a good time. The 31-year-old influencer, who runs his own cannabis shop, regularly touts recreational marijuana as good for the country’s economy on his online platform Channel Weed Thailand. In an …

Thailand made pot legal two years ago. That could change soon
10 months, 1 week ago

Thailand made pot legal two years ago. That could change soon

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — Two years after Thailand made pot legal, the country appears set to crack down on its freewheeling drug market with a ban on “recreational” use. Legal cannabis has fueled Thailand’s tourism and farming trades and spawned thousands of neon green shops, but it’s facing public backlash over perceptions that under-regulation has made the drug available to kids and …

Thailand’s new govt mulls to ban cannabis for recreational use
11 months, 1 week ago

Thailand’s new govt mulls to ban cannabis for recreational use

Live Mint  

Thailand's new government is pushing to ban cannabis for recreational use; however, it has allowed the use of weed for medical purposes. They have moved to pass new legislation banning cannabis for recreational use in a major reversal 18 months after the country became the first in Asia to decriminalize the plant, as reported by CNN. Cannabis and cannabis-related products …

Thailand seeks public opinion on draft to end recreational cannabis use
11 months, 1 week ago

Thailand seeks public opinion on draft to end recreational cannabis use

Firstpost  

Thailand is canvassing public opinion on a draft bill outlawing the recreational use of cannabis after more than a year in which marijuana-related businesses flourished following legalisation and insufficient regulation. The changes, aiming to deliver on an election promise, come after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin spoke out against recreational use amid concerns of drug abuse and vowed that his government …

High times in Thailand: New weed laws draw tourists from across Asia
1 year, 5 months ago

High times in Thailand: New weed laws draw tourists from across Asia

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — A Japanese tourist reaches into a baggie of cannabis he’s just bought in a central Bangkok weed shop, pulling out a gram of buds to chop down in a small black grinder, before rolling them neatly into a joint. “I wanted to try it.” Even as more countries around the world legalize marijuana, Thailand has been the outlier …

Thailand’s cannabis lovers face comedown amid legalisation U-turn
1 year, 6 months ago

Thailand’s cannabis lovers face comedown amid legalisation U-turn

Al Jazeera  

Bangkok, Thailand – On Thailand’s Ganja TV, cannabis enthusiasts have followed the drug’s swift journey from banned narcotic, to legal plant for medicinal use, to recreational high. Now, one year after Thailand decriminalised cannabis, the Facebook page’s 90,000-odd followers are looking on bemused as rival politicians threaten to make dispensaries and open consumption illegal once more – or at least …

Thailand’s cannabis sellers say US growers are eating their lunch
1 year, 7 months ago

Thailand’s cannabis sellers say US growers are eating their lunch

Al Jazeera  

Local cannabis growers say their business is being undercut by cheaper illegal imports from overseas. “A decent locally grown strain goes for 300 baht per gram but imports are only 150-180 baht per gram,” Prajya Aura-ek, a cannabis entrepreneur with several licensed dispensaries in Bangkok, told Al Jazeera. “We need to protect the domestic market and support Thai growers and …

‘Green way of life’: Thailand sees cannabis boom after law change
2 years, 5 months ago

‘Green way of life’: Thailand sees cannabis boom after law change

Al Jazeera  

Southeast Asian country is seeing an explosion in cannabis products since plant’s removal from banned narcotics list. “My age group ‘Gen Z’ don’t really drink alcohol but we do smoke weed,” Mada told Al Jazeera, sitting slightly bleary-eyed behind a counter at a hastily assembled dispensary in Pattaya. “If you just want to grow Thai strains, you can just plant …

Thailand becomes 1st Asian country to legalise cannabis, but you still can't smoke a joint in public
2 years, 6 months ago

Thailand becomes 1st Asian country to legalise cannabis, but you still can't smoke a joint in public

India Today  

Thailand on Thursday became the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis. "We still have regulations under the law that control the consumption, smoking or use of cannabis products in non-productive ways," said Anutin Charnvirakul. If tourists come for medical treatment or come for health-related products then it's not an issue but if they think that they can come to …

Thailand becomes first Asian nation to make marijuana legal for medical use
2 years, 6 months ago

Thailand becomes first Asian nation to make marijuana legal for medical use

The Hindu  

Thailand made it legal to cultivate and possess marijuana as of June 9, like a dream come true for an aging generation of pot smokers who recall the kick delivered by the legendary Thai Stick variety. The decision by the Food and Drug Administration to remove all of the plant from the category of narcotic drugs makes Thailand the first …

Thailand legalises growing cannabis and eases consumption rules
2 years, 6 months ago

Thailand legalises growing cannabis and eases consumption rules

Al Jazeera  

Thailand becomes first Asian country to legalise growing of the drug and its consumption in food and drinks. However, Thailand’s government has said it is promoting cannabis for medical use only, warning those eager to light up for fun that smoking in public could still be considered a nuisance, subject to a potential three-month sentence and 25,000 Thai baht fine. …

Thailand Moves Toward Full Legalization of Marijuana
2 years, 10 months ago

Thailand Moves Toward Full Legalization of Marijuana

The Diplomat  

Over the past few months, Thailand has further loosened its regulations on the sale and use of cannabis, making it likely to become the first nation in Southeast Asia to legalize the drug later this year. Appearing at a “Cannabis Kickoff” event in Nakhon Phanom province in northeastern Thailand in December, aimed at promoting the cultivation of the plant, Anutin …

Is cannabis the new food obsession in Thailand?
3 years, 9 months ago

Is cannabis the new food obsession in Thailand?

Live Mint  

Thais flocked to a cannabis exhibition as interest and demand in the plant surges after the government unlocked hemp use in food and cosmetics in the latest move to promote a new cash crop. The government held a convention in Buriram province in northeastern Thailand over the weekend to educate the public on cannabis use and promote businesses. "Ganja is …

Lekha Shankar | Thailand's 2nd annual cannabis expo begins today
3 years, 9 months ago

Lekha Shankar | Thailand's 2nd annual cannabis expo begins today

Deccan Chronicle  

Thailand’s huge promotion drive for cannabis as used for medical purposes will be amply in force at the Cannabis and Hemp Expo in the northeastern town of Buriram, on March 5-7. A major objective is to promote cannabis and hemp as a major industry for Thailand, bringing huge medical and economic benefits to both Thai producers and consumers. Certain parts …

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