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View all Cannabis and cannabinoids in Thailand
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Daily news alerts
Daily regulatory updates of legal changes in the cannabis sector, including monthly compilations
21st November 2023
Thailand: The Ministry of Public Health has completed its draft of the Hemp-Cannabis Law to regulate cannabis, which may be available for public comment in mid-December, press reports. Most notably, the draft bill would not place the cannabis plant or its extracts with 0.2% or less of THC back onto the narcotics list. While the bill aims to curb recreational use, the extent to which it might achieve that it is not yet clear. Public health minister Cholnan Srikaew said that licensed dispensaries would be allowed to continue operations under the draft bill but would not be allowed to sell dried flowers. Additionally, home cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes would require prior approval. After a two-week public comment period, the draft bill may be amended and submitted to the cabinet for approval.26th September 2023
- Thailand: Prime minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to prohibit the use and sale of recreational cannabis within six months, press reports. “The law will need to be rewritten,” Srettha said. “It needs to be rectified. We can have that regulated for medical use only.” Srettha's Pheu Thai Party campaigned against recreational cannabis but subsequently formed a coalition with the Bhumjaithai Party, which spearheaded the delisting of cannabis in 2022. Additionally, the Ministry of Public Health announced the formation of a panel to study a bill to regulate cannabis with an emphasis on allowing it only for medical purposes.
12th September 2023
- Thailand: Newly appointed public health minister Cholnan Srikaew said on 11th September that cannabis will not be reclassified as a narcotic, press reports. He said its medical use will be emphasised, and reiterated that extracts with more than 0.2% THC are already considered narcotics. Additionally, the Supreme Administrative Court dismissed a lawsuit against the previous public health minister that challenged the delisting of cannabis, press reports. Together, these developments indicate that cannabis – along with extracts up to 0.2% THC – is likely to remain off of the country’s narcotics list for the foreseeable future.
4th September 2023
- Thailand: Anutin Charnvirakul, the current minister of public health who will become the minister of interior in the new government, told the media that he is confident that the country's policy towards medical cannabis will not change, as the ruling Pheu Thai party has said that the policy is included in the new government's plan. Anutin added that any potential relisting of cannabis in the narcotics list should be discussed first among the ministries. He contends that the country's current cannabis policy, which he spearheaded, has been beneficial to many people, and its negative aspects have been addressed by regulations.
31st August 2023
- Thailand: The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published a draft regulation (translated version) on permissions to produce, import, export, sell, or possess cannabis extracts. The draft regulation would require that domestic manufacturers, importers, exporters, or vendors of cannabis extracts obtain a licence for those activities. Applicants must be individuals with Thai nationality, corporations incorporated in Thailand, or limited companies with at least 51% of shares held by Thai nationals. Licences may be issued for the following reasons: for medical purposes; for commercial or industrial purposes; for medical or scientific research; or for the benefit of the government in preventing and suppressing offences related to narcotics. The timeline for implementation of the draft regulation is not yet clear.
31st August 2023
- Thailand: The cabinet for newly-appointed prime minister Srettha Thavisin has been announced, press reports. The most significant cabinet positions for cannabis include Anutin Charnvirakul's appointment as deputy prime minister and minister of interior, and Chonnan Srikaew's appointment as minister of public health. Anutin spearheaded cannabis reform in Thailand when he served as minister of public health under the previous government, though it is not clear what influence he may have over cannabis policy now as minister of interior. Chonnan will assume the role formerly filled by Anutin. Though Chonnan's stance on cannabis is unknown, he is the leader of the Pheu Thai Party, which has supported cannabis for medical purposes but not for recreational purposes.
23rd August 2023
- Thailand: Srettha Thavisin of the populist Pheu Thai party has been voted in as prime minister by Parliament, press reports. In forming a coalition to govern, Thavisin formed an alliance with – among other parties – the Bhumjaithai Party, which spearheaded cannabis legalisation in Thailand. Prior to the elections, though, Thavisin reportedly stated that the Pheu Thai party "would never agree to total liberalisation of cannabis use" but still voiced support for medical cannabis.
9th August 2023
Thailand: Following the failure by the Move Forward Party (MFP), which gained the most votes in the May election, to form a majority coalition, the second-placed Pheu Thai Party has announced an alliance with the Bhumjaithai Party, which spearheaded cannabis legalisation, Reuters reports. The coalition has 212 seats in the Thai parliament – well short of a majority – but Pheu Thai continues to try to attract other parties. The inclusion of Bhumjaithai could help garner support in the military-appointed Senate, which thwarted the MFP’s nominee. Before the elections, Srettha Thavisin, Pheu Thai’s nominee for prime minister, said his party “would never agree to total liberalisation of cannabis use, but does back medical marijuana”.
21st July 2023
- Thailand: The Thai cabinet has approved a draft of ministerial regulations aimed at preventing the recreational use of cannabis, hemp, and kratom among children, press reports. While these substances are regulated for medical purposes, the new regulations aim to protect children under 18 (excluding those who achieved legal age through marriage) from the potential risks associated with their recreational use. The criteria outlined in the draft will enable state officials to take necessary measures to safeguard children displaying risky behaviours, including placing the at-risk child in a welfare or development and rehabilitation centre, or entrusting the child to the care of a willing guardian, with or without child protection agents to supervise them. Cannabis sales to anyone under the age of 20 are already prohibited.
4th July 2023
Thailand: Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, who has promised a clampdown on the country’s cannabis trade, faces challenges from rival parties and a conservative-leaning Senate in his bid to become prime minister, and is also under investigation for breaching election rules. While the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties have reached a compromise, nominating Prachachart party leader Wan Muhamad Noor Matha as House speaker and assigning deputy speaker positions to both parties, a joint session of parliament will be convened later this month to choose the prime minister, requiring more than half of the 750-member bicameral legislature’s votes. Limjaroenrat leads a coalition that previously announced that it aims to reclassify cannabis as a controlled substance. There have been public assurances that legitimate cannabis businesses would be temporarily protected during the transition.
31st May 2023
- Thailand: Thailand’s Cannabis Future Network is urging alliance parties (Move Forward Party, Pheu Thai Party, Prachachart Party) to avoid reinstating cannabis as a narcotic drug, press reports. Prasitchai Nunual, the network leader, highlighted that the Ad-Hoc Committee on Systematic Hemp and Cannabis Resolution conducted research favouring removal from the narcotics list and emphasised the importance of evidence-based decision-making. He warned that relisting cannabis would be bad for the country and lead to unintended consequences.
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