Thailand plans to decriminalize cannabis

[buksida]

Anutin has made his billions, time to ban it again. There are going to be a lot of shops and businesses going bust ...

New cannabis bill ready for cabinet
A new version of the cannabis and hemp control bill will be proposed at the cabinet meeting next week, Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said on Tuesday.

The revised bill preserves the key point that cannabis is to be used for medical treatment only, but it will also state clearly that any use for recreational purposes will not be allowed, the minister said.

The government has yet to clarify what will happen to the thousands of businesses that have sprung up in the legal vacuum that has existed since cannabis was removed from the list of controlled narcotics in 2022.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... or-cabinet

[caller]

The problem is the legislation was rushed and was never designed to enable the free use of the drug for all. All they are doing is closing the loopholes that all the various businesses have exploited. So in that respect, I don't really have much sympathy with them, as they all started operating on a wing and a prayer.

On saying that, I do think there was an element of suck it and see by the authorities. I think if the reaction had been more measured, and not the explosion of shops that we have seen, regulation might have been introduced to limit access to certain zones etc. But when shops were opening near schools, and kids turning up at school in no state to be there, and with Thailand being such a condervative County and so on, change was inevitable.

I still think some private usage will be allowed, and that will be to the benefit of the well resourced outlets, as is always seen here. and the little people will be forced out of the market. That's how Thailand operates.

[hhinner]

Has there been any evaluation of harm done, if any?

[STEVE G]

A Thai I know was trying to get involved in this business and I warned him not to because the law was going to change soon.
I hope he took my advice.

[Henry 14th]

Perhaps the work around for those that wish to smoke will be as simple as obtaining a license for the same.

Pay a Dr. his fee for issuing a license and the government will get their cut that way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[buksida]

Thai government could face ‘thousands’ of lawsuits as it seeks to ban recreational cannabis use
Thailand’s cannabis industry is lawyering up as the cabinet weighs a bill to roll back legal weed, which industry insiders say is propelled by political calculation rather than sound public health policy.

While the cabinet did not take up the Cannabis and Hemp Act at its weekly meeting on Tuesday, entrepreneurs, producers and cannabis advocates forecast grave economic harm and a storm of litigation should lawmakers adopt the proposed regulations, which in present form, would ban recreational consumption and reintroduce stiff criminal penalties.

“If this bill completely passes, it’s going to be hard. It prohibits a lot of things. It puts criminal charges and heavy fines on violations which are unfair,” said Rattapon Sanrak, the founder of the advocacy group Highland, which has hosted annual pro-cannabis festivals for nearly a decade.

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics ... nnabis-use

[wenshidi]

No idea what is going to happen to all the weed shops that have sprouted around Hua Hin, but the BIB are sure to be happy having another source of revenue ...

Looks like the first have already started closing. Looking at the prices in some of the others, I cannot see them lasting much longer than the remainder of the high season.

Another site said around 8,000 shops countrywide now. I wonder how many there will be by the end of the year?

[buksida]

Thailand to ban recreational cannabis use by year-end, health minister says
Thailand will ban recreational use of marijuana by the end of this year but continue to allow its use for medical purposes, the health minister told Reuters in an interview.

After Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to free up medicinal use in 2018, and then recreational use in 2022, tens of thousands of cannabis shops have sprung up in an industry projected to be worth up to $1.2 billion by next year.

Critics say piecemeal rules were rushed out and adopted within a week of decriminalisation, and the government has drafted a new law to regulate cannabis use that is expected to take effect by year-end.

The draft bill will go to cabinet for approval next month before heading to parliament to be passed before the end of the year, Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said.
"Without the law to regulate cannabis it will be misused," Cholnan said on Wednesday, referring to recreational use.

"The misuse of cannabis has a negative impact on Thai children," he added. "In the long run it could lead to other drugs."

The previous government had failed to push legislation through parliament before the general election of last May, leaving Thailand without an umbrella law to regulate its use.

Cannabis shops that operate illegally will not be allow to continue, while home-grown cannabis will also be discouraged, added Cholnan, who put the number of legally registered shops at 20,000.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-paci ... 024-02-29/

[PeteC]

Every joint has to be rolled in papers with a nasty picture on it espousing the dangers of pot.

[STEVE G]

Every joint has to be rolled in papers with a nasty picture on it espousing the dangers of pot.

Since all these cannabis shops opened in Thailand, I've wondered why you could openly promote it on the front of your business whilst cigarettes have to be hidden from view.

[Aarsonhfr]

Perhaps the work around for those that wish to smoke will be as simple as obtaining a license for the same.

Pay a Dr. his fee for issuing a license and the government will get their cut that way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The government did this because they can be used to make medicine.
Such as CBD, as CBD or cannabidiol is increasingly being studied for its potential effects on relieving stress and anxiety.

[Nereus]

Major change for popular Aussie tourist spot as Thailand flags cannabis backflip

https://au.news.yahoo.com/major-change- ... 41429.html

The nearly one million Australians who travel to Thailand each year will no longer be able to buy or use the drug for recreational purposes.

Only two years after decriminalising cannabis and sparking an industry worth over $1 billion in the country, Thailand is set to put the genie back in the bottle in a major backflip that will impact tourists who briefly enjoyed the country's burgeoning network on stores offering cannabis consumables.

The decision comes despite rapid growth of a retail sector which saw tens of thousands of businesses spring up in the country, quickly positioning it as the 'Amsterdam of Asia' where travellers could flock to and use the drug for recreational purposes.

However, after the decision to decriminalise the drug was accused of being rushed and promised legislation failed to pass through parliament, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has called for the status quo to return.

"I want the health ministry to amend the rules and re-list cannabis as a narcotic," he said on social media on Wednesday. "The ministry should quickly issue a rule to allow its usage for health and medical purposes only."

Prior to the decriminalisation, penalties were harsh with people caught in possession of the drug facing potentially multiple years in prison.

It in unclear when cannabis will be re-listed as a narcotic or what processes will be involved in this, but following a meeting with agencies involved in narcotic suppression, Thavisin promised authorities that his government would deliver results and "clear progress" within 90 days.

This will likely mean the roughly 800,000 Australians who travel to Thailand every year, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, will no longer be able to buy or use cannabis in the country. The change will again outlaw recreational use, requiring it to only be allowed for health and medical reasons.

Push back against Thailand's cannabis backflip

The secretary-general of Thailand's Cannabis Future Network criticised the decision, questioning why cannabis will once again be illegal for recreational use while alcohol and cigarettes are not.

"If scientific results show that cannabis is worse than alcohol and cigarettes then they can re-list it as a narcotic," Prasitchai Nunua said. "If cannabis is less harmful, they should list cigarettes and alcohol as narcotics too."

[Ratsima]

Chaos on the way. It will be impossible to enforce this; especially since so many parties including producers, processors, distributors and retailers have invested so much money in this venture. My wife has several clients who have made massive investments in the production of cannabis. They seem to think that the "medicinal use" loophole will enable them to make significant profits. I think this remains to be seen. Interesting times ahead.

[Dannie Boy]

I’m sure that we all know what will happen - those with big enough brown envelopes will be able to continue and those in power will keep getting rich and those lower down the chain will be forced out and/or used as examples of the new laws being implemented