Thailand set to ban recreational cannabis use over concerns it will cause ‘wider drug problems’
- PM Srettha Thavisin has frequently voiced his opposition to the recreational use of cannabis and said it should only be allowed for medicinal use
- There was fresh pressure from the public recently after attendees of Coldplay’s shows in Bangkok complained on social media that ‘the concert smelled like marijuana’
Thailand’s government will urgently move a bill to ban the recreational use of cannabis, the health minister said on Tuesday, after the kingdom decriminalised the drug in 2022.
Cannabis was taken off the list of banned narcotics in June 2022 under the previous government, which included the pro-legalisation Bhumjaithai party.
The move prompted hundreds of cannabis shops to sprout around the country, particularly in Bangkok, provoking concern from critics who urged the need for tighter legislation.
The kingdom’s health minister on Tuesday said the new bill – which bans the recreational use of cannabis – will be proposed to the cabinet meeting next week.
“The new bill will be amended from the existing one to only allow the use of cannabis for health and medicinal purposes,” Chonlanan Srikaew told reporters. “The use for fun is considered wrong.”
Srettha warned in September that recreational cannabis use could cause “wider narcotic drug problems”.
