Feature New Cannabis Curbs Rattle Thai Shop Owners

[webfact]

Outside a cannabis shop in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, Thailand, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

 

Cannabis shop owners in Thailand are alarmed by new Ministry of Public Health regulations tightening the use and sale of cannabis flowers. Under the policy signed by Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin, cannabis will soon require a doctor's prescription, transforming it strictly into a medical product and reclassifying it as a narcotic.

 

Business owners like Mr. Pan from Apollo Cannabis, Bangkok, are grappling with the changes. He had to abruptly close his shop to obtain a 'patient card' just to remain operational. Previously, homegrown cannabis was permissible, but now, without a Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) certificate, his home-farmed produce no longer qualifies for sale.

 

The cost implications are severe; prices for cannabis, which were previously 40 baht per gram, have now tripled to 120 baht per gram. Despite this, Mr. Pan remains optimistic about finding opportunities within the shifting legal environment.

 

Since the government's decriminalisation of cannabis in September 2022, there has been a rush of cannabis-focused businesses. However, this resurgence is now under threat because the government is enforcing stringent regulations that require weed shops to convert into dispensaries staffed by medical professionals.

 

At B Good @21Market, employee Bank highlights the swift adaptations needed by businesses, such as hiring licensed professionals to comply with seven specified medical fields.

 

The abrupt nature of these regulatory changes has caught shop owners off guard, sparking concerns about the long-term viability of such businesses writes Sooksodsai Sooksomchitra for Bangkok Post .

 

Doubts persist regarding the efficacy of the new requirements. Ham, an employee at Friendly Cannabis, distrusts the quality assurances of GACP-certified products, citing potential chemical contamination. The closure of their previous branch due to regulatory uncertainties illustrates the retailer's plight.

 

Another issue is the requirement for mandatory patient registration cards, which complicates sales, especially for tourists. These cards, which are valid for a year, introduce additional costs and bureaucracy that affect both small businesses and tourist interactions.

 

Despite the upheaval, some owners like Mr. Pan see potential positives, noting that stricter regulations could eliminate subpar operations. HowHowever, the uncertainty and instability caused by the government's rapid policy changes continue to challenge the growth and sustainability of the sector.

 

With limited guidance on navigating this new landscape, cannabis businesses face an uphill battle, striving to balance compliance with financial survival in an increasingly regulated market.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-07-02

 

 

[redwood1]

Folks.... The people running the show dont give a rats azz whether weed is used for medical purposes or not, they could care less about medical cards and all the rest of the medical nonsense..

 

What they do care about VERY MUCH

 

Is that all the weed sold is GACP-certified weed....GACP-certification can only be obtained by the huge growers who have the right contacts in government....

 

They want to get the cheap weed off the market and the insiders want all the weed profits going to them....The rich get richer and the little guy starves...

 

Its all yet another scam.......

 

 

 

[newbee2022]

Good news 👍👍👍

[Seagull Sam]

Fantastic, just as the youngsters are turning up to spend their hard currency on weed the business is brought to an upbrupt halt. Thousands of shops and untold acres of unsold crops out of business at a stroke.

Another shot in the foot for the Thais and another good reason to take your holidays elsewhere. 

And no, I don't much like the smell either.

[norsurin]

Hopefully can smell the Thai food in the streets of Bangkok again instead of weed.Hope to not see any stoned foreigner again with a silly smile on his face.

[Thingamabob]

23 minutes ago, norsurin said:

Hopefully can smell the Thai food in the streets of Bangkok again instead of weed.Hope to not see any stoned foreigner again with a silly smile on his face.

A rather silly comment. This is a serious issue for Thais who have invested heavily in this business.

[black tabby12345]

Relax vendors.

Current regime might soon be ousted.

So as the greedy prescription proposal by their bureaucrats.

[Lalo27]

I'm looking forward to a nurse helping me smoking my joint in a dispensary...!

[Beat666]

11 minutes ago, Lalo27 said:

I'm looking forward to a nurse helping me smoking my joint in a dispensary...!

Oh, there are plenty of these specialized nurses out there😊

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Cannabis shop owners in Thailand are alarmed by new Ministry of Public Health regulations tightening the use and sale of cannabis flowers. Under the policy signed by Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin, cannabis will soon require a doctor's prescription, transforming it strictly into a medical product and reclassifying it as a narcotic

Good.

[Purdey]

I have never heard of governments reversing a law in a very short time like this. Clearly, the business brings income, which is taxable. Putting these shops out of business means they don't pay any tax.

[Burma Bill]

1 hour ago, Seagull Sam said:

Fantastic, just as the youngsters are turning up to spend their hard currency on weed the business is brought to an upbrupt halt. Thousands of shops and untold acres of unsold crops out of business at a stroke.

Another shot in the foot for the Thais and another good reason to take your holidays elsewhere. 

And no, I don't much like the smell either.

 

I suppose one could say they have all gone up in a puff of smoke!!

[Aussie999]

2 hours ago, Seagull Sam said:

Fantastic, just as the youngsters are turning up to spend their hard currency on weed the business is brought to an upbrupt halt. Thousands of shops and untold acres of unsold crops out of business at a stroke.

Another shot in the foot for the Thais and another good reason to take your holidays elsewhere. 

And no, I don't much like the smell either.

Really...  Do you really think less dope will stop many tourists...me thinks you use too much dope ..ya dope.

[dinsdale]

1 hour ago, black tabby12345 said:

Relax vendors.

Current regime might soon be ousted.

So as the greedy prescription proposal by their bureaucrats.

And quite possibly replaced by the army for another 10 years.

[SunsetT]

2 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

A rather silly comment. This is a serious issue for Thais who have invested heavily in this business.

And the alarming numbers of young Thai kids now smoking regularly before their brains have finished developing is also a serious issue. So I am pleased about this legal backtracking.

[Thingamabob]

4 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

And the alarming numbers of young Thai kids now smoking regularly before their brains have finished developing is also a serious issue. So I am pleased about this legal backtracking.

Vastly over-stated.

[Summerinsiam]

2 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

A rather silly comment. This is a serious issue for Thais who have invested heavily in this business.

They have  been operating in a grey area, by exploiting a loophole that they knew could be closed at any time. In doing this, especially in a country like Thailand, renowned for its flip-flopping on policy and tribal politics, they were extremely foolish. 

[sanooki]

1 hour ago, Purdey said:

I have never heard of governments reversing a law in a very short time like this. Clearly, the business brings income, which is taxable. Putting these shops out of business means they don't pay any tax.

From what I learned, people can thank Thaksin's daughter for messing this up. Her gaffe resulted in a block of the parliament abruptly leaving the ruling coalition. This block happened to be the ones supporting cannabis freedom. As soon as they left, support promptly collapsed and the remaining MPs didn't waste time taking advantage. Apparently, she was set up by "Uncle" who traditionally was a friend of the family. Experts are pondering why the double-cross. The tangled web of a show goes on.

[unblocktheplanet]

I don't smoke much weed, prefer hash. BUT I would definitely not sign up for a medical card which would give all my passport details, home address, etc. Why not just turn myself in to the police?

 

Does this mean cannabis is criminalised again in Thailand & that users, sellers, distributors would be imprisoned? What nonsense!

[redwood1]

31 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

And the alarming numbers of young Thai kids now smoking regularly before their brains have finished developing is also a serious issue. So I am pleased about this legal backtracking.

 

For some people weed is absolutely horrible for them weed turns them into dull minded unmotivated stoners in short order....And for other people its pretty harmless.....

 

Educating people about weed is the solution.....But every government in the world has failed miserably at this including Thailand...Governments only care about tax money. 

 

 

 

[SunsetT]

14 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Vastly over-stated.

Well it's an issue with kids in my wife's family and they're smoking it at school too. I also have personal experience of the possible long-term effects on some who develop schizophrenia. I have been employed to support 2 in the UK. Young men in their early twenties unable to work and on powerful anti-psychotic medication for life. Their lives ruined by their old hippy generation parents allowing them to smoke it from their their early teens. And don't tell me it doesn't affect your brain. That's why you smoke it! When I was young we used to call it getting 'f u c k e d up' and for good reason because that's what it does to you. I stopped smoking it myself when I realized it was affecting my practical common sense thinking which we all need to get through life, especially our working life. If I was a rockstar or working  in the creative arts I might think differently.

[blaze master]

A friend of mine in buriram got his med card yesterday. 550b for 1 month.

[zzzzz]

8 minutes ago, blaze master said:

A friend of mine in buriram got his med card yesterday. 550b for a month.

WHY?
for the next 30-60 days no changes in effect

From my reading the card is 500 baht and valid for 1 year
BUT to buy u also need a script from a licensed practitioner 
for 50-100 baht
BUT
its only good for a 1 time 30 day supply of 30 grms

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/cannabis_news/thai-cannabis-prescriptions-standardised-symptoms-list-clarified

[findlay13]

19 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

Well it's an issue with kids in my wife's family and they're smoking it at school too. I also have personal experience of the possible long-term effects on some who develop schizophrenia. I have been employed to support 2 in the UK. Young men in their early twenties unable to work and on powerful anti-psychotic medication for life. Their lives ruined by their old hippy generation parents allowing them to smoke it from their their early teens. And don't tell me it doesn't affect your brain. That's why you smoke it! When I was young we used to call it getting 'f u c k e d up' and for good reason because that's what it does to you. I stopped smoking it myself when I realized it was affecting my practical common sense thinking which we all need to get through life, especially our working life. If I was a rockstar or working  in the creative arts I might think differently.

I have a friend that has mental problems from dope  He  used to smoke 3 times as much as anyone else I knew though.

[AustinRacing]

3 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

A rather silly comment. This is a serious issue for Thais who have invested heavily in this business.

Investing in illegal businesses. Law catching up to them. Drug dealers also invest in transport, mules etc. it doesn’t give them any rights. 

[blaze master]

16 minutes ago, findlay13 said:

I have a friend that has mental problems from dope  He  used to smoke 3 times as much as anyone else I knew though.

 

His issues were probably always there. I took a thc test 2 days ago. Hadn't  smoked for 40 days. Failed.

[Thingamabob]

33 minutes ago, AustinRacing said:

Investing in illegal businesses. Law catching up to them. Drug dealers also invest in transport, mules etc. it doesn’t give them any rights. 

Illegal businesses ? I don't believe so. Also, drug dealers investing in transport and mules is not what is being discussed here. Perhaps you should read more on this subject.

[Thingamabob]

1 hour ago, unblocktheplanet said:

I don't smoke much weed, prefer hash. BUT I would definitely not sign up for a medical card which would give all my passport details, home address, etc. Why not just turn myself in to the police?

 

Does this mean cannabis is criminalised again in Thailand & that users, sellers, distributors would be imprisoned? What nonsense!

The govt is in chaos. There is a strong possibility that the new regulations will not be implemented.

[Bday Prang]

2 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

Really...  Do you really think less dope will stop many tourists...me thinks you use too much dope ..ya dope.

I was wondering if you had any sympathy for those that invested in an "illegal" business   As you have not reminded us for a while? 

[Bday Prang]

The thing that has struck me is , why does the need to comply with this GACP standard mean a 300% + increase in price.  Is it just  opportunism,?  I bought some allegedly compliant weed  for 16 bt / gm last week.  If not a bit of price gouging  what exactly have  they been  using during the growing process that made it so cheap,? I doubt it was anything "wholesome".    So the big growers who will be all that remains soon will need a good bit of regulating,  but i reckon they will be churning out the weed equivalent of chang and leo,  there appears to be little chance for smaller "artisan " growers to be able to continue, 

Which, (coincidentally I'm sure) was exactly the same situation small artisan breweries were in up until very recently. 

    I reckon this whole medical b/s is a total distraction, as if any medic would encourage smoking anything to help with insomnia or even better asthma. I suspect once the small growers and dealers have been removed, the "medical" restrictions will eventually fade away and  every one will be smoking  courtesy of Mr Chang or Mr Sing,  home growing will probably be outlawed too,