File photo for reference only. Courtesy of iStock

 

Phuket is calling for tighter cannabis regulations, as incidents involving tourists' erratic behaviour due to excessive cannabis use tarnish its tourism image. Sarayut Mallum, from the Phuket Tourism Association, links this negative impact to cannabis misuse, citing cases of tourists experiencing hallucinations and risky behaviour after smoking multiple joints.

 

An example involved French motorcyclists consuming cannabis before riding, highlighting the island's growing concern. Phuket’s private sector is pushing for a strict reclassification of cannabis for medical use while involving local vendors in responsible sales practices.

 

This echoes former justice minister Somsak Thepsutin’s approach to considering cannabis a narcotic. Meanwhile, Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee suggests zoning strategies like designated smoking areas in Patong and banning cannabis shops in historically sensitive areas like Old Phuket Town.

 

Chalermpong highlights Phuket's vast number of cannabis shops, ranking second in Thailand. This proliferation has led to health issues such as cannabis-induced psychosis among tourists, further burdening local healthcare and damaging the island's family-friendly image. He warns that without change, Phuket risks losing tourists to competitors like Vietnam, Singapore, and Japan.

 

Phuket Governor Saransak Srikruanet plans to gather feedback from local tourism sectors for government review. Discussions will also take place with the House of Representatives’ Tourism Committee to coordinate potential measures.

 

Previously, Chalermpong raised concerns in July over the smell of marijuana on beaches deterring high-spending tourists, calling for zoning laws, age restrictions, and stricter sales regulations.

 

Ratchadaporn O-in of Phuket’s Tourism and Sports Office voiced worries about social media clips of intoxicated tourists misbehaving, which harm the island’s reputation. She stressed the need for stronger enforcement, clearer local regulatory communication, and visitor education on acceptable behaviour.

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Excessive cannabis use by tourists in Phuket is damaging its tourism appeal.
• Proposed changes include restricting cannabis use and introducing designated zones.
• Local leaders aim to balance tourism with stricter cannabis regulations.

 

Related Stories: 

Ukrainian Man Arrested in Phuket After Drug-Fuelled Outburst

Phuket Cannabis Shops Raided in Major Regulatory Crackdown

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-10-20

 

 

What a bunch of BS

in pattaya I have noticed quite a few weed shops back into life in the last week, quite funny

Again a genuine example of incompetence!

Why blame Cannabis when there are other priorities like "pills" and other Ice and stuff?!

Blame it on the Ganja!

Such a nonsense !!!

13 hours ago, Pesche said:

Again a genuine example of incompetence!

Why blame Cannabis when there are other priorities like "pills" and other Ice and stuff?!

Blame it on the Ganja!

Such a nonsense !!!

Do you smoke the stuff? I got 5 baht that says you do

All those addicted to the stuff defend it, and try to justify it is harmless

The sheer volume of outlets prove there are hundreds of thousands more users of weed than the ones who do pills,

Weed in the wrong mouth is a danger 

Alcohol, reckless drivers, and 20 baht yaba pills being used daily by 10%+ of Thais do far more harm to Thailand's image than cannabis ever could

 

When you read stories about tourists crashing bikes, getting robbed, or starting fights, 99% of the time, alcohol is involved. Never heard a similar story with only cannabis involved

 

If you want to clean up Phuket's image, there are dozens of more important things to worry about than cannabis use

i thought these shops were supposed to close but seems they are staying, crazy.

And how many alcohol outlets are there in Thailand?

How many deaths, injuries and chronic illnesses are caused by or contributed to by alcohol consumption? 

Focusing on cannabis as a cause of social problems is avoiding the real issues. 

Horse manure. Total BS. 

31 minutes ago, RileyHayes said:

Alcohol, reckless drivers, and 20 baht yaba pills being used daily by 10%+ of Thais do far more harm to Thailand's image than cannabis ever could

 

When you read stories about tourists crashing bikes, getting robbed, or starting fights, 99% of the time, alcohol is involved. Never heard a similar story with only cannabis involved

 

If you want to clean up Phuket's image, there are dozens of more important things to worry about than cannabis use

Phuket and Pattaya both basket cases since uncontrolled THC went on sale idiots can't handle super strong gunga, it was supposed to be controlled but now it's a free for all money scramble lining pockets for the rich 

Don't worry about tourists just bring in drug addicts 

 

Sit in a bar and drink 5 or 6 beers then get on motorbike and head out into the traffic.  Happens thousands of times every night and never hear much if any calls for banning booze or any attempts to cut down on this very very common practice.

 

Somehow the media has hyped all the way back to reefer madness days that ganja is a  very dangerous drug and that is bad.  Meantime the booze industry spends zillions every year trying to convince the world that drinking is glamorous sexy fun and safe. 

 

For the brain dead ignorants out there surprise surprise alcohol is also a drug and every stat will tell you over and over and over that it creates more  addiction, more violence, more poor choices, and overall more problems than all the ganja ever smoked.

1 minute ago, kiwikeith said:

Phuket and Pattaya both basket cases since uncontrolled THC went on sale idiots can't handle super strong gunga, it was supposed to be controlled but now it's a free for all money scramble lining pockets for the rich 

Don't worry about tourists just bring in drug addicts 

 

Phuket and Pattaya were basket cases long before weed was legalized. And you could still find it quite easily back then, just had to buy from the taxi driver who also offered you an assortment of hard drugs

1 minute ago, RileyHayes said:

Phuket and Pattaya were basket cases long before weed was legalized. And you could still find it quite easily back then, just had to buy from the taxi driver who also offered you an assortment of hard drugs

Then dobbed you in to undercover police 

On 10/20/2025 at 7:35 AM, wildpuppet72 said:

What a bunch of BS

I think there should be tighter control on what's sold to make sure it is just MJ with no additives or enhanced THC.

As to damage to image sorry that boat saled when all the bars and sex started

On 10/20/2025 at 7:30 AM, webfact said:

File photo for reference only. Courtesy of iStock

 

Phuket is calling for tighter cannabis regulations, as incidents involving tourists' erratic behaviour due to excessive cannabis use tarnish its tourism image. Sarayut Mallum, from the Phuket Tourism Association, links this negative impact to cannabis misuse, citing cases of tourists experiencing hallucinations and risky behaviour after smoking multiple joints.

 

An example involved French motorcyclists consuming cannabis before riding, highlighting the island's growing concern. Phuket’s private sector is pushing for a strict reclassification of cannabis for medical use while involving local vendors in responsible sales practices.

 

This echoes former justice minister Somsak Thepsutin’s approach to considering cannabis a narcotic. Meanwhile, Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee suggests zoning strategies like designated smoking areas in Patong and banning cannabis shops in historically sensitive areas like Old Phuket Town.

 

Chalermpong highlights Phuket's vast number of cannabis shops, ranking second in Thailand. This proliferation has led to health issues such as cannabis-induced psychosis among tourists, further burdening local healthcare and damaging the island's family-friendly image. He warns that without change, Phuket risks losing tourists to competitors like Vietnam, Singapore, and Japan.

 

Phuket Governor Saransak Srikruanet plans to gather feedback from local tourism sectors for government review. Discussions will also take place with the House of Representatives’ Tourism Committee to coordinate potential measures.

 

Previously, Chalermpong raised concerns in July over the smell of marijuana on beaches deterring high-spending tourists, calling for zoning laws, age restrictions, and stricter sales regulations.

 

Ratchadaporn O-in of Phuket’s Tourism and Sports Office voiced worries about social media clips of intoxicated tourists misbehaving, which harm the island’s reputation. She stressed the need for stronger enforcement, clearer local regulatory communication, and visitor education on acceptable behaviour.

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Excessive cannabis use by tourists in Phuket is damaging its tourism appeal.
• Proposed changes include restricting cannabis use and introducing designated zones.
• Local leaders aim to balance tourism with stricter cannabis regulations.

 

Related Stories: 

Ukrainian Man Arrested in Phuket After Drug-Fuelled Outburst

Phuket Cannabis Shops Raided in Major Regulatory Crackdown

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-10-20

 

 

The sooner they ban it the better.

Too many miscreants here now.

1 hour ago, jwl53 said:

Do you smoke the stuff? I got 5 baht that says you do

All those addicted to the stuff defend it, and try to justify it is harmless

The sheer volume of outlets prove there are hundreds of thousands more users of weed than the ones who do pills,

Weed in the wrong mouth is a danger 

Pretty obvious you don’t smoke it because of your drivel! Weed IS NOT addictive! Fact! It’s probably the most none dangerous drug there is! It’s calming and relaxing. 
alcohol is 100 times more dangerous. 
2 bars, 1 serves alcohol, 1 serves dope.  Let’s see where the arguments and fights are coming from at 2am! 

What a load of bull<deleted>!

alcohol causes 1000 times more trouble than dope ever could. 
I’m yet to see two dope smokers get into a heated argument and punch up over nothing at 2am.  They couldn’t be bothered! 

On 10/20/2025 at 7:35 AM, wildpuppet72 said:

What a bunch of BS

Its alcohol not weed doing most hsrm.

31 minutes ago, Leadidge said:

Pretty obvious you don’t smoke it because of your drivel! Weed IS NOT addictive! Fact! It’s probably the most none dangerous drug there is! It’s calming and relaxing. 
alcohol is 100 times more dangerous. 
2 bars, 1 serves alcohol, 1 serves dope.  Let’s see where the arguments and fights are coming from at 2am! 

Trur

33 minutes ago, Leadidge said:

Pretty obvious you don’t smoke it because of your drivel! Weed IS NOT addictive! Fact! It’s probably the most none dangerous drug there is! It’s calming and relaxing. 
alcohol is 100 times more dangerous. 
2 bars, 1 serves alcohol, 1 serves dope.  Let’s see where the arguments and fights are coming from at 2am! 

So very true 

51 minutes ago, Leadidge said:

Pretty obvious you don’t smoke it because of your drivel! Weed IS NOT addictive! Fact! It’s probably the most none dangerous drug there is! It’s calming and relaxing. 
alcohol is 100 times more dangerous. 
2 bars, 1 serves alcohol, 1 serves dope.  Let’s see where the arguments and fights are coming from at 2am! 

That's an excellent idea, which is why it will never happen. This nonsense is spurred on by the beer industry as it sees cannabis as cutting into their profits.

2 hours ago, phuketlive said:

i thought these shops were supposed to close

But of course the shops are the ONLY place one can but cannabis for illegal non medical purposes.

(sarcasm)

12 minutes ago, Noah K said:

beer industry

And maybe the tobacco industry of which Thailand government has a monopoly?

There is a lot of discussion for & against, unfortunately it often attracts an undesirable group of people and the reality is in its uncontrolled state it is tarnishing Thailands image as a family destination. 

The truth is that so often 1 drug leads to another and its common knowledge that many of these weed shops sell illegal substances which is another part of the problem here, police get paid off to look the other way and so it goes on. Also like alcohol overuse, it has adverse effects of which many weed users fall into that category!!

The reason you rarely see fights outside the weed shops is because mostly thats not where it is consumed unlike the bars where its often consumed with alcohol!!!! 

If there is a change of government you will most likely see changes in the law relating to this. 

2 hours ago, jwl53 said:

Do you smoke the stuff? I got 5 baht that says you do

All those addicted to the stuff defend it, and try to justify it is harmless

The sheer volume of outlets prove there are hundreds of thousands more users of weed than the ones who do pills,

Weed in the wrong mouth is a danger 

Utter rubbish.

How can that be worse a tourism image than 2 people f***ing in a driving pickup truck? 

Haha, cannabis is the least of Phuket's worries.  How about the tuk tuk mafia, the police payoffs, lack of law enforcement, illegal drugs, drunk driving, illegal buildings, prostitution, jet ski rental scams, out of control ladyboys, sex shows, etc.  The list goes on and on.

2 hours ago, jwl53 said:

Do you smoke the stuff? I got 5 baht that says you do

All those addicted to the stuff defend it, and try to justify it is harmless

The sheer volume of outlets prove there are hundreds of thousands more users of weed than the ones who do pills,

Weed in the wrong mouth is a danger 

Alcohol is doing a lot more damage than weed. The world has a lot more alcoholics that have destroyed their lives than your supposed weed addicts. I've smoked on and off for 55 years but wouldn't consider myself an addict.

2 hours ago, kiwikeith said:

Phuket and Pattaya both basket cases since uncontrolled THC went on sale idiots can't handle super strong gunga, it was supposed to be controlled but now it's a free for all money scramble lining pockets for the rich 

Don't worry about tourists just bring in drug addicts 

 

I don't suppose allowing a free for all of tourists who don't spend and sleep on beaches and others who want to live here and treat Thai like crap has anything to do with the demise of Phuket and Pattaya. Just easy to blame the weed.

4 hours ago, jwl53 said:

Do you smoke the stuff? I got 5 baht that says you do

All those addicted to the stuff defend it, and try to justify it is harmless

The sheer volume of outlets prove there are hundreds of thousands more users of weed than the ones who do pills,

Weed in the wrong mouth is a danger 

Unlike alcohol, marijuana is not physically addictive.  I got 100 baht that says you drink booze.