Thailand moves to recriminalise cannabis

25/6/2025 17:54

Thailand's government is moving to recriminalise cannabis, plunging into limbo an industry estimated to be worth over $1 billion that has boomed since the substance was taken off the country's narcotics list in 2022.



The push to impose new controls on recreational use of cannabis comes after the Bhumjaithai Party, which championed its legalisation, withdrew from the ruling coalition last week following Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's apparent mishandling of a border row with Cambodia.



Late on Tuesday, Thailand's health ministry issued an order prohibiting the sale of cannabis for recreational use and making it mandatory for any retail purchase to require a doctor's prescription.



The new rules will come into effect once they are published in the Royal Gazette, which could happen within days.



"Cannabis will be classified as a narcotic in the future," Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said on Tuesday.



Three years ago, Thailand became one of the first countries in Asia to decriminalise the recreational use of cannabis, but without any comprehensive rules to govern the sector.



Since then, tens of thousands of shops and businesses selling cannabis have sprung up across Thailand, many of them located in the country's tourism hubs.