Report Cannabis Advocates Warn of Fallout from Thailand’s New Medical Use Rule

[webfact]

File Photo - Police stand guard as cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, holding cannabis plants, gather in front of Government House in Bangkok. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

 

Cannabis advocates in Thailand are voicing frustration over a new proposal from the Public Health Ministry that would require all cannabis users to present medical certificates, restricting its use solely to medical purposes.

 

Daycha Siripatra, a respected traditional medicine practitioner, criticised the move as a significant barrier to accessing cannabis for alternative treatments.

 

He stressed the importance of public engagement in shaping the policy, warning that ignoring public sentiment could provoke backlash—especially from those who have heavily invested in the cannabis industry following decriminalisation.

 

Panthep Puapongpan, dean of the College of Oriental Medicine at Rangsit University, expressed concerns about the reliance on modern medical practitioners, who may be reluctant to prescribe cannabis due to lack of confidence or perceived conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies.

 

He warned that overly restrictive regulations could push people toward unregulated or illegal cannabis sources.

 

The proposed policy could also affect individuals who cultivate cannabis at home for personal medical use, leaving them in a legal grey area.

 

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin announced on Wednesday that the government aims to finalise these new cannabis regulations within 40 days.

 

The proposal includes a requirement for Thai and foreign cannabis users to obtain certification from licensed medical professionals, including traditional Thai medicine practitioners, to prove the medical necessity of their usage.

 

Dr. Somlerk Jeungsmarn, director-general of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, explained that future rules could require documentation of specific medical conditions and set dosage limits to ensure cannabis use aligns with medical treatment standards.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-05-24

 

 

[JoePai]

who have heavily invested in the cannabis industry

 

Tough, that's biz

[Yagoda]

Wonderland on the corner of Suk Soi 7 (or thereabouts) has had a medical clinic attached for over a year.

[davb]

I lived in LA during the "medical only" years. There are apparently a lot of doctors who can't do other types of work, and so gave out prescriptions at $50 each, plus an additional $50 for a prescription for a medical support animal. It was no big deal.

[Jingthing]

I think it's kind of stigmatizing. Do they require this to buy beer?

[ikke1959]

Impossible to bring time back... First it is free allowed, than they start to make rules and now they only want for medical reasons... Impossible to do now, as it was allowed first with 3 plants a person/address...... If Mr Anutin did his job first and investigated and asked countries such as the Netherlands how they deal with a cannabis deal it would be much better, than just approving to fill his pockets and than when there is so called "abuse" of the cannabis make rules.. Same almost as educate and public awareness for vaping, which is forbidden already, but everyone does

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Impossible to bring time back... First it is free allowed, than they start to make rules and now they only want for medical reasons... Impossible to do now, as it was allowed first with 3 plants a person/address...... If Mr Anutin did his job first and investigated and asked countries such as the Netherlands how they deal with a cannabis deal it would be much better, than just approving to fill his pockets and than when there is so called "abuse" of the cannabis make rules.. Same almost as educate and public awareness for vaping, which is forbidden already, but everyone does

It's nothing to do with Cannabis (Anutin) and all to do with Casinos (Thaksin).

If Anutin BJT gives in to casinos, Thaksin PT will stop hitting on cannabis.

[AsiaCheese]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

future rules could require documentation of specific medical conditions and set dosage limits to ensure cannabis use aligns with medical treatment standards

 

Is there an equivalent for alcohol use? Asking for many friends.

[PeeJayEm]

43 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Impossible to bring time back... First it is free allowed, than they start to make rules and now they only want for medical reasons... Impossible to do now, as it was allowed first with 3 plants a person/address...... If Mr Anutin did his job first and investigated and asked countries such as the Netherlands how they deal with a cannabis deal it would be much better, than just approving to fill his pockets and than when there is so called "abuse" of the cannabis make rules.. Same almost as educate and public awareness for vaping, which is forbidden already, but everyone does

Thailand's official stance has always emphasized medical and health-related use, even during the liberalization wave. Recreational use has never been formally legalized, though it was de facto tolerated for a brief period due to legal loopholes.

[Thingamabob]

2 hours ago, davb said:

I lived in LA during the "medical only" years. There are apparently a lot of doctors who can't do other types of work, and so gave out prescriptions at $50 each, plus an additional $50 for a prescription for a medical support animal. It was no big deal.

Clearly time to get into the medical prescription business in Thailand.

[black tabby12345]

Once deregulated completely.

And then, made illegal again(use without permission subject to arrest).

Will Thai jails be full of "new offenders"?

 

[StandardIssue]

 Pot users are getting the standard azz whooping from the drug dealers profiteer play book.

 

1) Get it out there cheap and easy and get them hooked

2) start driving up the price

3) make em' jump through more hoops and start taxing them addicts

4) Police get involved making extra tea money on arrests.

 

Drug addicts get suckered again. 

 

Thailand is just running the drug pushers profiteer playbook game on they azz.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Cannabis advocates in Thailand are voicing frustration over a new proposal from the Public Health Ministry that would require all cannabis users to present medical certificates, restricting its use solely to medical purposes.

Which is what Anutin said it would be from the start... except he forgot to enforce that bit into law before forcing it through.

[papa al]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Do they require this to buy beer?

is trick question.>?

[papa al]

" Pot users are getting the standard azz whooping from the drug dealers profiteer play book."

Where can i get a copy of this book./?

thx

[Kasset Tak]

Yeah... people invested as the government legalised cannabis, and now the next government decided to criminalise it again... and instead they are legalising gambling and take away the alcohol restrictions... Basically it's all about the brown envelopes for this government...

 

Because face it, there are way more alcohol and/or tobacco related deaths, and way more families destroyed because of gambling than because of cannabis. And if they were really thinking about people's healt, well-being and the cost for society, then they should go after the most addictive, devastating, and harmful thing that today is legal and still destroy more lives than alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis combined... refined sugar!

[John Drake]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

He stressed the importance of public engagement in shaping the policy, warning that ignoring public sentiment could provoke backlash—especially from those who have heavily invested in the cannabis industry following decriminalisation.

 

Are they threatening to riot? I thought they were supposed to be mellowed out by all this stuff.

[Bday Prang]

42 minutes ago, PeeJayEm said:

Thailand's official stance has always emphasized medical and health-related use, even during the liberalization wave. Recreational use has never been formally legalized, though it was de facto tolerated for a brief period due to legal loopholes.

are you trying to say it is not "defacto tolerated " now?

[mikebike]

41 minutes ago, StandardIssue said:

 Pot users are getting the standard azz whooping from the drug dealers profiteer play book.

 

1) Get it out there cheap and easy and get them hooked

2) start driving up the price

3) make em' jump through more hoops and start taxing them addicts

4) Police get involved making extra tea money on arrests.

 

Drug addicts get suckered again. 

 

Thailand is just running the drug pushers profiteer playbook game on they azz.

Your scenario is exactly the opposite of what happened 😎

 

1. Totally decriminalise without any regulation

2. Weed shops pop up with totally insane pricing because demand far outstripped supply

3. Local growers of high end strains come into production, prices start to drop

4. Supply now greater than demand, current pricing is incredibly low

5. Govt states vague, concepts of a plan to require prescriptions.

[WHansen]

A new proposal. Lets wait and see.

[NobbyClarke]

Legalization brought a lot of interest and increased tourism from some parts of the world.

Tourists are hooked into the idea, Thai people are hooked into the idea.

A lot of farmers and workers rely on their income from the drug.

If it is only available on prescription it will cause uproar.

The next government decision will be interesting to see.

[daveAustin]

Wouldn’t make much difference to the customer at this point since it is everywhere and people have plants galore etc. Dispensaries would lose out as it would drive it underground.