Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said on Tuesday he had signed an order restricting cannabis use to strictly medical purposes.  

People wanting to purchase cannabis would in future have to present a doctor’s prescription and a medical certificate detailing their condition, Mr Somsak said.

He did not say when the regulation would take effect.

The director-general of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, Somlerk Jeungsmarn, said on Monday that authorities would allow a grace period before changes come into effect, so the parties concerned could prepare for it. 

Mr Somsak confirmed that cannabis will be reclassified as a narcotic in the near future.

There were unresolved regulatory issues stemming from what had been done in the past, such as the classification of cannabis as  a controlled herb under the Traditional Thai Medicine Wisdom Protection Act. This allowed for the establishment of cannabis shops and cultivation. However, it lacked provisions for medical use, the minister said.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra had instructed him to hold talks with her advisory team regarding cannabis for medical use. The discussions began on May 14 and the meeting concluded that cannabis use must be limited to medical purposes only, Mr Somsak said.

 Public hearings were held to guarner opinions from May 22 to June 10 and most people supported this approach.

Regarding licences for new cannabis businesses, a new regulation will be introduced that will require each shop to have a medical professional and monthly inspections. Shops found in breach of the requirement twice will lose their licence, Mr Somsak said.

These new rules will require a ministerial regulation, which must receive public views. Following the prime minister’s instruction, all procedures had already been taken, he said.

On the move by the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) to push for the passage of the party’s Cannabis Control Bill, Mr Somsak dismissed the likelihood of this happening during the current administration, saying it was just a dream.

The bill stemmed from the 2021 Narcotics Code, which removed kratom and cannabis from Category 5 drugs and gave the public health minister’s authority to regulate them by taking into consideration views from the Narcotics Control Board (NCB), said Mr Somsak.

However, the failure to enact proper regulations within the 120-day framework led to a proliferation of  tens of thousands of cannabis shops, he said.

He rejected claims the crackdown on cannabis was politically motivated by the BJT’s withdrawl from the coalition government. 

“This is not political. It’s a chronic problem. There were many complaints, particularly during the administration of then-prime minister Srettha Thavisin.  We are trying to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic,’’  Mr Somsak said.

Leading BJT figure Supachai Jaisamut has called for the urgent enactment of a cannabis control bill, criticising Pheu Thai’s Ministry of Public Health of negligence in regulating cannabis, leading to its widespread availability and escalating problems.

Mr Supachai reiterated that his party had supported cannabis use solely for medical purposes since 2019. He noted that delisting cannabis from the Narcotics Code BE 2564 received parliamentary approval, including votes from Pheu Thai members.