Thailand looks set to crack down on legal pot market with ban on 'recreational' use
ABC News
Two years after Thailand made pot legal, the country appears set to crack down on its freewheeling drug market with a ban on “recreational” use
BANGKOK -- Two years after Thailand made pot legal, the country appears set to crack down on its freewheeling drug market with a ban on “recreational” use.
Legal cannabis has fueled Thailand's tourism and farming trades and spawned thousands of neon green shops, but it's facing public backlash over perceptions that under-regulation has made the drug available to kids and caused crime.
The Cabinet is expected to consider a law that would ban recreational cannabis use while allowing medical as soon as Tuesday. If approved, it would go to parliament, where support for more restrictions is widespread.
A draft version of the law that was circulated for public comment in January would make using cannabis “for entertainment or pleasure” a crime punishable by a 60,000 baht (about $1,700) fine. It would allow medical marijuana, but didn't give details of how it would be controlled.
Thailand was the first country in Asia to legalize cannabis. Decriminalization was spearheaded by the Bhumjaithai Party, which made it a major part of its platform in the 2019 general election campaign. The party’s stronghold is in the poor Northeast, where it promised farmers cannabis would be a new cash crop.
