Thailand to once again ban non-medical use of cannabis

Thailand is set to re-criminalise non-medical cannabis use after seeing a recent surge in cannabis smuggling cases by tourists.

Following Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's instructions from a recent Cabinet meeting, Thailand's Public Health Ministry announced on Jun. 24 that cannabis flowers will be reclassified as "controlled herbs", which automatically imposes tight licensing requirements on its use and bans its sales in public spaces, The Nation reported.

Not politically motivated

The move comes in the wake of the Bhumjaithai Party's withdrawal from the governing coalition on Jun. 18.

The Bhumjaithai Party, in particular its leader and former health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, is known to champion for cannabis legalisation.

However, after a phone call between Paetongtarn and former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was leaked in the midst of border conflicts between the two countries, in which Paetongtarn was interpreted as denigrating the Thai army, Bhumjaithai Party stopped supporting the prime minister.

However, Thailand's Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin has denied that the re-criminalisation is a politically motivated move, Bangkok Post said, adding that it has become "a chronic problem".

Doctor's prescription needed

Under the new law, people wanting to purchase cannabis would need to have a doctor's prescription and a medical certificate proving their condition, Somsak announced.

A new regulation will also be introduced such that cannabis businesses will need to have a medical professional and monthly inspections. Shops that breach this requirement more than once will lose their license to sell cannabis.

A grace period will be given for affected parties to make preparations.

Following the re-criminalisation decision, public hearings were held from May 22 to Jun. 10 for feedback, and saw most people supporting the approach.

First Asian country to legalise recreational cannabis

Thailand was the first Asian country to legalise recreational use of cannabis in 2022, after the drug was taken off Category 5 under the Narcotics Act.

This led to a boost in Thailand's tourism and farming industry, as tourists across Asia flocked to the Southeast Asian country to consume the drug, AP News reported.

However, the lack of proper regulations within the 120-day framework led to a boom in the opening of over 10,000 cannabis shops, the availability of drugs to children, and rising cases of addiction.

More recently, Thai authorities have clamped down on a rising number of weed smuggling instances out of Thailand to countries like the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan and Hong Kong, including the latest interception of 73kg of cannabis in May 2025 at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Previous efforts had been made to u-turn the legalisation of recreational cannabis use, including promises made by ruling party Pheu Thai Party to recriminalise the drug in 2024.

However, strong opposition by the Bhumjaithai Party prevented this from happening.

The cannabis industry, reported to be worth over one billion dollars, has exponentially grown since cannabis' legalisation in Thailand in 2022, but is expected to be significantly undermined by the latest change in regulations.

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