In June 2022, the Thai government struck medical marijuana from a list of narcotics banned for use or distribution and made it legal for medical and culinary uses. To curtail the abuse of the drug, policymakers added a number of guardrails, including the prohibition of sales to the pregnant and those under the age of 20. Smoking marijuana is also outlawed in public spaces.
But ensuring that weed is used for medical instead of recreational purposes has proven complicated, with authorities struggling to enforce the amended laws.
Marijuana is said to be linked to impaired learning capacity when used at a young age. Extended abuse of the drug may lead to psychiatric disorders and the inability to function in society, according to experts.
In the first five months of 2022 prior to the decriminalisation, there was an average of 72 recorded cases of marijuana addictions per month, according to the public health ministry. Between June and November, the number shot up to 282 cases.
Last year, those said to be addicted to marijuana accounted for roughly 17% of psychiatric patients needing intensive care – a five-year high and a sign that the drug’s legalisation may have resulted in additional pressure on hospitals.
Anutin Charnvirakul, the public health minister who pushed for the legalisation of marijuana, said weed dispensaries would not be allowed to display signage advertising their wares. Despite that declaration, several shops continue to display signs featuring cannabis leaves.
The decriminalisation of marijuana has also prompted a rise in its usage among foreign tourists.
The Japanese embassy in Thailand has put out a warning to Japanese nationals that possessing weed inside the country would run afoul of Japan’s anti-marijuana law. Despite this and similar notices from other foreign missions, foreign tourists made up “80% of customers,” said a proprietor who manages more than 20 dispensaries in Thailand.
The marijuana controversy is stoking tensions within Thailand’s ruling coalition. The Democrat Party has called for the drug to be criminalised again, breaking with the Bhumjaithai Party, a fellow coalition member that advocated for its legalisation.
The Democrat Party was once the major conservative political force in Thailand. But the Democrat Party has since lost ground, following the Bhumjaithai Party’s success in the 2019 general election. Anutin, who doubles as deputy prime minister, leads the Bhumjaithai Party.
The Democrat Party’s appeals for a ban of marijuana suggest it seeks to build up its political base among conservative voters.
The government handed a concession by reinstating cannabis buds as a controlled herb, but that has not reined in marijuana use. A photo of 9- and 10-year-olds smoking weed outdoors circulating on social media in December prompted criticism of officials for waiting too long to step in.
Despite the calls to ban marijuana, Thailand’s cannabis growing industry is steadily expanding. The domestic marijuana market is on track to reach 42.9 billion Thai baht (US$1.27 billion) in 2025, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, up from 2.81 billion baht in 2022.
At Thailand’s first-ever marijuana expo in Bangkok last November, hundreds of businesses exhibited a wide range of weed-based products, including drinks and cosmetics.
Thailand’s weed decriminalisation has drawn global attention, said Pascal Evers of Grow.help, a collective of weed cultivation advisors based in Estonia. Evers added that there would be untold business opportunities if neighbouring countries also moved to legalise the drug.
Grow.help established an office in Bangkok in November.