Thailand moves to ban recreational cannabis amid political fallout: Summary

What we know

• Thailand is preparing to recriminalise cannabis, putting the future of a growing $1 billion industry in doubt just three years after the drug was decriminalised.
• The Health Ministry has issued a new order banning recreational sales and requiring prescriptions for all purchases, with cannabis expected to return to the country’s narcotics list soon.
• Tens of thousands of dispensaries had opened across the country since 2022, particularly in tourist areas, with businesses hoping to profit from what was projected as a $1.2 billion industry.
• Officials say easy access to cannabis has created serious problems for children and young people, prompting calls to restrict its use to medical purposes only.
• The abrupt policy shift has left shop owners, workers and activists dismayed, calling the move a political reversal that puts livelihoods at risk.

What they said

Punnathat Phutthisawong, a dispensary worker, bemoaned the situation. "This is my main source of income. Many shops are probably just as shocked because a lot of them invested heavily." Cannabis activist Chokwan Kitty Chopaka also said, "The cannabis industry has become a hostage to politics."