Thailand will re-list cannabis as a narcotic by year-end, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
After becoming one of the first countries in Asia to decriminalize its recreational use, the domestic retail sector for marijuana has been booming in Thailand, with tens of thousands of shops and businesses springing up in the past two years in an industry projected to be worth up to $1.2 billion by 2025.
“I want the health ministry to amend the rules and re-list cannabis as a narcotic. The ministry should quickly issue a rule to allow its usage for health and medical purposes only,” Srettha says.
Cannabis was decriminalized for medical use in 2018 and recreational use in 2022 under the previous government. However, critics say its liberalization was rushed through.
Srettha’s government had earlier said it wanted to push out a cannabis law by year-end that would ban recreational marijuana and allow its use for medical and health purposes only.
It is not yet clear when cannabis will be re-listed as a narcotic or what processes must first take place.
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