Thais Want Cannabis Banned Again as Youth Use Rises

Once touted as a remedy for Thailand’s post-pandemic economic slump, the country’s cannabis industry has instead sparked a domestic backlash that could lead to the drug being criminalized again after next month’s election.

Studies have shown growing recreational use among schoolchildren, a central issue for many critics. (Photo: FredTC, Wikimedia Commons)

Thailand became Asia’s first country to decriminalize cannabis in 2022, The Straits Times reported.

The move was initially popular, with promises that Thailand would become a regional hub for medical cannabis, boosting health tourism and creating a new cash crop for farmers.

Within months, however, recreational use surged, including among children.

Thousands of shops selling ready-rolled joints and fruit-flavored gummies sprang up nationwide, and the smell of cannabis became a common feature of city streets, Bloomberg News reported.

Doctors warned of rising hospital admissions, tourism officials feared the loss of high-spending visitors, and foreign governments raised concerns about increased drug smuggling.

Studies have shown growing recreational use among schoolchildren, a central issue for many critics.

“It got out of control and has had a huge negative impact, especially on children and young people under 25, whose brains are still developing,” said Yodsakorn Khunphakdee, coordinator of the Youth Network Against Cannabis, which last year submitted a petition with 200,000 signatures urging authorities to reverse decriminalization.