BANGKOK (Reuters) – Simply two years after Thailand grew to become the primary nation in Southeast Asia to decriminalize hashish in 2022, it’s now contemplating banning the leisure use of the drug, creating uncertainty for the general public, the vacationers is a rising business.
Listed below are the main points of the hashish sector:
IS CANNABIS COMMON IN THAILAND?
Thailand has an extended historical past of utilizing hashish in conventional medication to alleviate ache and fatigue. Hashish additionally appeared in outdated cooking recipes earlier than it was criminalized within the Nineteen Thirties.
WHO INVESTS IN CANNABIS?
In 2018, the federal government legalized marijuana for medical use and analysis to extend agricultural revenue. Corporations poured cash into the hashish craze after hemp, a variant of hashish, and cannabidiol (CBD), a compound that doesn’t create a “excessive”, have been legalized.
Client items corporations have rushed to supply CBD-based merchandise together with toothpaste, cosmetics and drinks. Power corporations discovered land to develop and provide hemp.
Agriculture giants resembling CP Meals have additionally proven curiosity whereas the shares of corporations that publicize hashish companies have risen.
The federal government's hashish app PlookGanja reveals that 1.1 million folks have registered since November final yr to develop hashish.
WHAT ABOUT RECREATIONAL USE?
Leisure use has grown in a single day after hashish was delisted from the narcotic record in June 2022. Hashish dispensaries have sprung up round Bangkok, the capital, and vacationer locations resembling Phuket and Chiang Mai.
The authorities scrambled to implement leisure use with legal guidelines and public nuisance guidelines to stop gross sales close to faculties and to minors and pregnant ladies, however the use persevered.
The federal government emphasised that its coverage was solely to assist medical marijuana, however its incremental guidelines aimed toward lowering leisure use weren’t efficient.
Hashish has given a lift to the important thing tourism sector with guests having fun with hashish cafes in Bangkok's backpacker district of Khao Sarn.
UNCERTAINTY AFTER THE ELECTIONS
The leisure use of hashish has change into a difficulty within the 2023 elections, with many events campaigning towards it.
In August 2023, the Pheu Thai celebration shaped a authorities, with a dedication to finish leisure use.
In 2024, Public Well being Minister Cholnan Srikaew stated all leisure use was flawed and a brand new invoice banning informal use was within the works.
A invoice prohibits the advertising and promoting of hashish with harsher jail sentences for individuals who develop the crop with no allow. Nonetheless, there’s nonetheless no readability on the way forward for hundreds of dispensaries, clinics and cafes.
Advocates say it's inconceivable to reverse course and that gross sales and leisure use are right here to remain.
(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Enhancing by Clarence Fernandez)
