Thailand will ban the recreational use of marijuana by the end of this year, but continue allowing its use for medical purposes, the health minister told Reuters in an interview.
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00:00 Thailand will ban the use of recreational cannabis by the end of this year.
00:06 That's according to the country's health minister in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.
00:11 However, Minister Chonlannan Sikhao said use for medical purposes would still be allowed.
00:18 Tens of thousands of cannabis shops sprang up in Thailand
00:22 after it became the first Southeast Asian country to legalise its medicinal use in 2018.
00:28 And then recreational use in 2022.
00:31 The industry is projected to be worth $1.2 billion by next year.
00:36 However, critics argue the rules were rushed out
00:40 having been adopted within a week of decriminalisation.
00:44 And now, the health minister says the aim is for a draft law to get to parliament by the end of 2024.
00:51 Because the law hasn't passed yet,
00:54 anyone can go into a shop and buy cannabis sold in those glass containers
00:58 and claim they need it for medical purposes.
01:01 This is the loophole that we cannot control
01:03 and therefore we needed to draft this law to regulate that in the future.
01:07 Those who need it would have to have a medical prescription to prove that it's for health reasons.
01:11 Sikhao also went on to say that without the law,
01:14 cannabis could be "misused and that it could lead to other drugs".
01:19 The proposed law sets a fine of up to $1,700 for recreational use
01:25 with maximum jail terms of a year,
01:27 a fine of up to $2,800 or both for those selling cannabis or promoting related products.
01:35 The minister told Reuters that under the new law,
01:38 permits will be required in the cannabis trade
01:41 and that businesses will be given time to adapt to the new regulations,
01:45 with existing shops being able to continue operations until their licenses expire
01:50 and to switch to legal clinics if they comply with the rules.
01:54 For more information, visit www.fema.gov
01:56 [end]