Report Thailand to Reclassify Cannabis as Controlled Substance

[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)

 

Thailand plans to reclassify cannabis as a controlled substance, limiting its use strictly to medical purposes, according to Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin.

 

On 24th June 2024, Somsak Thepsuthin, Thailand's Health Minister, announced that cannabis will be classified again as a controlled substance, restricting its use to medical applications only.

 

The minister signed a declaration requiring a doctor's prescription and certificate for cannabis purchases. He emphasised that this move is not a crackdown on cannabis shops following the Bhumjaithai Party's withdrawal from the government.

 

The decision follows public consultations held between 22nd May and 10th June 2024, where the majority supported the medical-only use of cannabis.

 

Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin

 

New business licences will require additional regulations and mandates that a doctor is present in shops or conduct monthly checks. Non-compliance could lead to licence revocation.

 

The Bhumjaithai Party's efforts to push a Cannabis Control Bill are deemed unrealistic, as past laws allowed certain substances to be managed by the Health Ministry.

 

The minister expressed frustration over the political promises and disconnected implementation, noting a burst of cannabis-related businesses without clear legal backing.

 

Somsak clarified that the current measures are not politically motivated but address ongoing public concerns. The focus remains on cannabis being a strictly controlled medicinal herb, with future plans to reapply its classification as a controlled substance.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from CH 7 Thai News 2025-06-24

 

 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

Anutin has been pushed out so now the Govt can do what needs to be done. Whilst Expats and Tourists will be able to get around the medical requirements for usage, they will no longer be able to walk down the street smoking it, nor in bars and clubs. Most of the locals will no longer be able to easily access it though, and that is a big plus.  Those Ex[pats whop own/run a cannabis shop better start getting prepared and make sure you are fully licenced etc. and when it it 'controlled' again, do not sell any to anyone without a medical certificate/letter. The number one way the Thai police will nail illegal selling, is by pretending to be a buyer. 

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand plans to reclassify cannabis as a controlled substance .......

One minister plans, but I think he'll need a few votes from other MPs before his plans can bare fruit.

[BritManToo]

10 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Anutin has been pushed out so now the Govt can do what needs to be done. Whilst Expats and Tourists will be able to get around the medical requirements for usage, they will no longer be able to walk down the street smoking it, nor in bars and clubs. Most of the locals will no longer be able to easily access it though, and that is a big plus.  Those Ex[pats whop own/run a cannabis shop better start getting prepared and make sure you are fully licenced etc. and when it it 'controlled' again, do not sell any to anyone without a medical certificate/letter. The number one way the Thai police will nail illegal selling, is by pretending to be a buyer. 

Nah, it'll be same as before, even if they manage to change the law (unlikely) the cops will accept bribes to look the other way and doctors will write prescriptions for 200bht. 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Nah, it'll be same as before, even if they manage to change the law (unlikely) the cops will accept bribes to look the other way and doctors will write prescriptions for 200bht. 

Yep it will be easy for Expats to get a Dr's certificate as I said. And yes the cops will do that - but they will also want to nail some people when the laws change - to look like they are doing their job. And dont walk around the streets smoking it - at least for a while. 

[Cornish Pasty]

This poor, innocent plant has been dragged from pillar to post!

 

The Thai’s couldn’t organize a p up in a brewery!

 

Mark.

[smedly]

I have seen weed shops close very recently, some were only opened a few months ago, I do feel sorry for them having invested a lot of money 

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Yep it will be easy for Expats to get a Dr's certificate as I said. And yes the cops will do that - but they will also want to nail some people when the laws change - to look like they are doing their job. And dont walk around the streets smoking it - at least for a while. 

IF not when .... no vote yet, PT only have a 7 vote majority, possible government change, possible coup.

Government plans change with the wind out here.

[Purdey]

First they want tourist money, then they don't. Weed has been illegal elsewhere for years, yet people still buy it. The legal way means taxing it - to the government's benefit.

[Hummin]

4 minutes ago, smedly said:

I have seen weed shops close very recently, some were only opened a few months ago, I do feel sorry for them having invested a lot of money 

Like this was a shock?

 

The intention was never to have shops selling weed with high thc in the first place. 

 

Just another snowball out of control literally said. Recreational use was never legal even it was decriminalized. 

 

 

[jvs]

So can you still grow your own?

If they push this law thru i just wonder how difficult it is going to be to get a doctors prescription?

 

[JackGats]

The money grab with pseudo-legalisation didn't pan out for the economy as a whole, so now comes a backtracking money-grab on behalf the medical establishment and the police. Cannabis decriminalisation was the only development in Thailand which I'd rate "postive" over the last 5 years.

[Patong2021]

29 minutes ago, Purdey said:

First they want tourist money, then they don't. Weed has been illegal elsewhere for years, yet people still buy it. The legal way means taxing it - to the government's benefit.

There was never any intent to attract cannabis tourists. There have been too many problems associated with the cannabis business, in particular money laundering and hooliganism. No one would have  done anything if the jerks who fire up a blunt anywhere they want had been more discreet and respectful of others.

[Bert got kinky]

3 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

There was never any intent to attract cannabis tourists. There have been too many problems associated with the cannabis business, in particular money laundering and hooliganism. No one would have  done anything if the jerks who fire up a blunt anywhere they want had been more discreet and respectful of others.

 

 

hooliganism?

Have you been drinking???

 

And where are the money laundering in the local cannabis businesses?

 

 

[samtam]

50 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

One minister plans, but I think he'll need a few votes from other MPs before his plans can bare fruit.

 

33 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

IF not when .... no vote yet, PT only have a 7 vote majority, possible government change, possible coup.

Government plans change with the wind out here.

 

I agree, the longevity of this government is in doubt. I think it's rather an odd hill to choose to die on, and to double down on the hornet's nest they just poked, (Anutin/BJT). Similarly, the doubling down on the rhetoric against Cambodia seems to contradict the PT-led government's desire to cool the temperature with that spat.

 

Sure what they are proposing ("talking about") in both cases are valid, but they have been valid from the get-go, and long before, which didn't stop them getting into bed with BJT, and having the cosy relationship with the Huns (Sen).  

[Patong2021]

40 minutes ago, smedly said:

I have seen weed shops close very recently, some were only opened a few months ago, I do feel sorry for them having invested a lot of money 

I do not. They did not plan, nor consider their market clientele. No different than people who open mediocre restaurants or coffee shops or massage parlors and then lament when they cannot attract customers to their generic shop that is no different than the other shops in close proximity.

[Patong2021]

1 minute ago, Bert got kinky said:

 

 

hooliganism?

Have you been drinking???

 

Who drinks on a workday before 5 PM? 

You obviously haven't seen some of the jerks in the tourist zones making a nuisance of themselves. They aren't happy go lucky adolescents having a bit of fun. 

[jvs]

18 minutes ago, Bert got kinky said:

 

 

hooliganism?

Have you been drinking???

 

And where are the money laundering in the local cannabis businesses?

 

 

I think a lot of cannabis shops were opened to launder money,what is a better way to do this?

You open a shop(with illegal money made thru selling illegal Cannabis) and keep selling the same product legally .

Perfect!

[Bert got kinky]

9 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Who drinks on a workday before 5 PM? 

You obviously haven't seen some of the jerks in the tourist zones making a nuisance of themselves. They aren't happy go lucky adolescents having a bit of fun. 

 

Who drinks on a workday before 5 PM? 

In the tourist zones, which you were referring to, many people.

Let's face it, Pattaya is not short of alcoholics, is it?

 

You obviously haven't seen some of the jerks in the tourist zones making a nuisance of themselves. They aren't happy go lucky adolescents having a bit of fun. 

We are talking about weed here, not alcohol.

 

For every story in Thailand about weed smokers making a nuisance of themselves, I could match them with 10 about drunkards causing trouble.

 

 

[Bert got kinky]

2 minutes ago, jvs said:

I think a lot of cannabis shops were opened to launder money,what is a better way to do this?

You open a shop(with illegal money made thru selling illegal Cannabis) and keep selling the same product legally .

Perfect!

 

You think?

How about an ounce of proof?

 

[bamnutsak]

I don't understand why the Health Minister can't reclassify Cannabis Flower as a narcotic with the stroke of a pen? That is how Anutin, as Health Minister, struck Cannabis Flower off the Narcotics lists.

 

 

 

20 Bangkok cannabis shops inspected to ensure legal compliance

 

Authorities inspect 20 cannabis shops across Bangkok to enforce regulations; some found violating rules by allowing smoking and failing to report sales—ordered shut for 10–14 days.

The Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), and related agencies, deployed over 100 office.

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40051596

 

 

 

[Bday Prang]

17 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

I don't understand why the Health Minister can't reclassify Cannabis Flower as a narcotic with the stroke of a pen?

is there any difference between a controlled substance and a narcotic in real terms?

[atpeace]

Well  that sucks for weed smokers which I was until recently. IMO weed is better than alcohol  but life isn't fair.  Still will be cheap weed for years to come so in the end most won't be impacted unbearably.  They do risk being arrested but the odds of this are slim.  

[davb]

24 minutes ago, jvs said:

I think a lot of cannabis shops were opened to launder money,what is a better way to do this?

You open a shop(with illegal money made thru selling illegal Cannabis) and keep selling the same product legally .

Perfect!

What about all the sunglass shops? I live in southern Bangkok and no one wears sunglasses, hardly anyone wears regular glasses even if they need them, and there are maybe seven stores within a few blocks with two employees each "selling" sunglasses.

 

[davb]

Just now, atpeace said:

Well  that sucks for weed smokers which I was until recently. IMO weed is better than alcohol  but life isn't fair.  Still will be cheap weed for years to come so in the end most won't be impacted unbearably.  They do risk being arrested but the odds of this are slim.  

 

My assumption is that it will be easy to get a medical certificate.

[davb]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

I have seen weed shops close very recently, some were only opened a few months ago, I do feel sorry for them having invested a lot of money 

 

My favorite shop in southern Bangkok just closed. They had an espresso machine and you could smoke your purchase out back with their provided bongs. Sometimes local kids would show up and play guitar, or you could sit at a table and use their wifi and drink coffee while enjoying the buzz. 

[atpeace]

25 minutes ago, Bert got kinky said:

 

Who drinks on a workday before 5 PM? 

In the tourist zones, which you were referring to, many people.

Let's face it, Pattaya is not short of alcoholics, is it?

 

You obviously haven't seen some of the jerks in the tourist zones making a nuisance of themselves. They aren't happy go lucky adolescents having a bit of fun. 

We are talking about weed here, not alcohol.

 

For every story in Thailand about weed smokers making a nuisance of themselves, I could match them with 10 about drunkards causing trouble.

 

 

Agreed but weed kills motivation and is not beneficial in most business/employment situations.  It has destroyed many careers.  They aren't bad people but some can lose perspective and become unproductive. It isn't like booze can be a wrecking ball but slowly erodes productivity.  With that said I've known a few productive chronic smokers.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

I have seen weed shops close very recently, some were only opened a few months ago, I do feel sorry for them having invested a lot of money 

Yeah, selling cannabis from a shop for 200bht/g when online stores sell it for 2-5bht/g was never going to be successful.

[JackGats]

1 hour ago, Bert got kinky said:

 

 

hooliganism?

Have you been drinking???

 

And where are the money laundering in the local cannabis businesses?

 

 

I think he meant the laudry shops next to the cannabis shops. From a distance it may be difficult to tell both apart.

[JackGats]

11 minutes ago, atpeace said:

Agreed but weed kills motivation and is not beneficial in most business/employment situations.  It has destroyed many careers.  They aren't bad people but some can lose perspective and become unproductive. It isn't like booze can be a wrecking ball but slowly erodes productivity.  With that said I've known a few productive chronic smokers.

They couldn't pin physical harm on cannabis so they invented this vague "motivation" thingy. Why "motivation"? Why not consideration? Observation?