Thailand to Reclassify Cannabis and Restrict Use to Medical Only

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Thailand’s Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin has signed an order restricting cannabis use to medical purposes only. Buyers will soon need a doctor’s prescription and medical certificate to access cannabis. A grace period will be granted before enforcement begins. Cannabis will be reclassified as a narcotic, reversing previous liberalisation that allowed widespread retail and cultivation. New shop licences will require an on-site medical professional and face monthly inspections, with repeat offenders losing licences. Somsak dismissed the Bhumjaithai Party’s push for a broader Cannabis Control Bill as unlikely to pass. He insisted the crackdown isn’t political but a response to poor past regulation and growing public complaints.