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Recently, the government enacted new rules confining cannabis use strictly to medicinal purposes, disallowing dispensaries from selling without a valid prescription.
Suradeth Wattanasoontornkul, who manages a small cannabis shop beyond Bangkok’s central area, reports an almost complete loss in clientele. Source: SBS News
It’s now flagging more rules to come; planning to cut shop numbers back almost 90 per cent to 2,000 and require each one to have a doctor on site.
“Sure, you can hire a doctor, but the cost is very high, and not every doctor wants to work in a cannabis shop.”
The governmental feud fuelling recriminalisation
“The cannabis policy is strongly associated with the Bhumjaithai Party, aiming to increase its political reach through cannabis decriminalization, which led to a rapid surge in cannabis shops across Thailand, notably in Bangkok,” he explains.
The Thai authorities have suggested reducing the number of cannabis outlets by roughly 90% to a count of 2,000, mandating a doctor’s presence at each location. Source: SBS News
The industry experienced near-instant economic success; its value was already estimated above $1 billion, with the Thai Chamber of Commerce predicting that number could rise to $1.8 billion by the end of this year.
“Our message to tourists is they are welcome to explore Thailand’s heritage and attractions, but recreational cannabis should not be a focal reason for visiting,” Thepsuthin stated recently. “Its impact on children and nuisance from unwanted smells are concerning.”
An industry moving underground
Those trying to keep their businesses open say there is little clarity and a lot of confusion.
Kitty Chopaka notes that dispensary proprietors are witnessing an uptick in tourists engaging in the drug’s illicit trade, hinting that the lucrative industry might be shifting to the underground market. Source: SBS News
“The health department is coming out with one set of information, the provinces are coming out with another set of information, when a lot of things are actually still on the drawing board,” Kitty Chopaka from advocacy group Writing Thailand’s Cannabis Future says.
