Dreaming of cannabis in Thailand

There is a cannabis craze in Thailand. There is cannabis toothpaste, tonic, oil, perfumes, cosmetic, air fresher, ice cream, pizza, cake, tea, coffee, curry and even noodles appeared.

Cannabis signboards are posted in coffee shops and restaurants, and cannabis seedlings are selling on the streets. The government also handed out 1 million cannabis seedlings to citizens.

This happened after the legalisation of cannabis on 9 June. It is now legal to grow, produce, sell, consume and possess cannabis in Thailand. Still commercial production of cannabis requires a permit, but individuals growing at home just need to register with a mobile app.

Still, Thai society is confused over cannabis legalisation. In short, it is because the government’s guidelines are not clear. Minister of Health Anutin Charnvirakul, who took the lead in cannabis legalisation, said: “It is not cannabis liberalisation. The goal is to revive the medical efficacy and increase the income of growers. You must not abuse cannabis.”

And the guidelines announced by the government so far are banning more than 0.2% of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient of cannabis, banning minors, and banning recreational use (smoking).

The same goes for confusion within government. Even Somsak Akksilp, director-general of the Department of Medical Services, the Ministry of Health said: “We don’t know much about cannabis. More in-depth study is needed. It is premature to legalise medical care and profits without preparing cannabis-related laws.”

In addition, the Ministry of Higher Education and the Bangkok government banned the use of cannabis-related products, even to adult university students, at odds with the central government.

Civil society is also flummoxed. Omsak Achari, who runs a restaurant in Bangkok, shook his head, saying: “I sell cannabis drinks, but I don’t know if it’s still illegal or legal.”

Pon Angkana, a student at Thammasat University, was sarcastic: “The government says it’s legal, but the school says it is illegal.”

Somphon Virasak, a lawyer, raised many questions: “How to manage 0.2% THC? traffic safety problems caused by marijuana driving? and marijuana products that efficacy has not been verified? what are you going to do with them?” He said that It is a political game to show deceit to throw out the word legalisation without principles, preparations, and laws.

In fact, political analysts see that the government hastened to declare cannabis legalisation for the first time in Asia based on a political ulterior motive as much as an ambition to preoccupy the international cannabis market reaching $82.3 billon by 2027.

This is worth seeing as a card aimed at the next general election by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government, which has been driven to the brink by political chaos and economic conditions since seizing power in a coup in 2014.

It is a pre-election campaign targeting former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by the military, and farmers in the northeastern part of the country, a farming area with the largest population and a foothold for the current opposition party.

The government has emphasised from the beginning that the legalisation of cannabis will generate revenues of 15 billion baht in 2026 for farmers. As part of this that the University of Chamber of Commerce encouraged farmers to the fullest, saying that the cannabis market would increase by 15% from 2023 and reach 43 billion baht by 2025.

However, the explosive growth of the hemp market and profit generation for farmers is still nothing more than a rosy fantasy of the government. Unless the government reveals clear legal arrangements and agricultural policies. Thai civil society feels like chasing cannabis fantasies in a fog.