Thailand’s new government is moving ahead to pass new legisalation banning cannabis for recreational use in a major reversal 18 months after the country became the first in Asia to decriminalize the plant.
The relaxed laws saw a lucrative cannabis industry catering to locals and foreigners alike boom across the Southeast Asian nation, but a new conservative coalition government came to power late last year vowing to tighten the rules and only allow medical use.
A draft bill was released on Tuesday by Thailand’s health ministry outlining hefty fines or prison sentences of up to one year for offenders – or both.
I’ve seen article in the past couple of months that basically said the regulation for cannabis when it became legal was next to nothing, and that caused some issues with locals when some people tried to take advantage of the lack of regulation.
I can’t remember the specifics, but I’m sure it had to do with an over abundance of stores popping up in major tourist areas.
Anecdotally, I will say that it has caused an increase of selling weed to other neighbouring countries. When I went to visits friends in Cambodia this summer, there was lots of ‘hydro’ available in cities close to the border that is 100X better than the stuff in Cambodia, where it’s legal-ish.
It isn’t legal-ish in Cambodia, laws are just not enforced very much with low public confidence in anything being done.
It’s legal for ‘traditional uses’ which I would say is legal-ish. Even though most of them shut down, there are still Happy Pizza shops in every major city.
It had use traditionally and could be bought by the bagful (as in, plastic bag) for a dollar back in the day at local markets, however that is no longer the case. Happy pizza places bribe the cops not to bust them, which doesn’t make it legal. I don’t think there is a provision for traditional usage anymore:
https://web.archive.org/web/20191206214427/http://www.cambodiainvestment.gov.kh/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Law-on-Drug-Management_full-text_961209.pdf
You can get permission for medical purposes, but that’s about it.
I was there this summer and finding cannabis was not hard. One tourist place there was literally woman walking around holding a tray of selection trying to get the attention of foreigners to sell. Like in an old fashion casino. The rule was you could only use the stuff in designated areas but no one was enforcing. Every tourist bar has people using it. Hemp does grow wild there and they been making tea for selling for who knows how long.
From what I gathered the market exploded, got oversaturated, and now places are starting up/dying every month. I guess like vape stores in the West.