Thailand Set to Regulate Medical Cannabis Use
![Thailand Set to Regulate Medical Cannabis Use](/content/images/size/w1200/2024/07/02ff4f29-56c9-4e63-a5ce-0a3d75d89cc2.png)
Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has announced plans to regulate the cannabis industry through legislation, focusing on its medical use. This marks a significant shift from previous plans to re-criminalize the plant. Thailand decriminalized cannabis in 2022, becoming one of the first countries in Asia to do so without a law to govern its use or clear regulations to prevent its recreational use, leading to a surge in recreational consumption and public concern about potential abuse.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who previously supported the liberalization of marijuana, has endorsed this legislative move. The government will discuss plans for a draft bill to regulate the cannabis industry and broader uses of the plant, with political parties potentially submitting their drafts to parliament. It remains unclear whether further steps will be taken to address the issue of recreational cannabis use, which has proliferated since decriminalization.