Bangkok: A network of medical professionals, academics, and concerned citizens has submitted an open letter to the Minister of Public Health, advocating for the revocation of the Ministry's announcement regarding cannabis as a Category 5 narcotic. This group is actively working against drug abuse and seeks to address the issues arising from the current cannabis policies.
According to Thai News Agency, the request stems from significant changes in cannabis policy over the past six years. Initially, in 2019, the policy allowed cannabis cultivation strictly for medical purposes, prohibiting its recreational use. However, in 2022, the Free Medical Cannabis Policy was introduced, permitting recreational smoking and commercial cultivation with minimal regulatory oversight. By 2025, the policy shifted back to regulating the sale of medical cannabis, while still allowing recreational use and free cultivation. The recreational cannabis policy has reportedly led to various problems, including hospitalizations, addiction, and mental health issues attributed to cannabis use.
The network has also presented three proposals to the Ministry of Public Health: permitting cannabis purchase without a prescription, easing standards for cultivation testing and analysis, and allowing non-hospital cannabis dispensaries. They argue that these proposals could exacerbate existing issues by facilitating recreational cannabis access, reducing consumer protection, and increasing the number of dispensaries outside the medical system. The network insists that pursuing these proposals would undermine the medical cannabis framework and result in negative repercussions.
Furthermore, the original medical cannabis policy under the Narcotics Code was stringent, but the Ministry's announcement on February 8, 2022, which removed cannabis from the narcotics list, marked the beginning of several challenges. The network urges the Ministry of Public Health to request the Narcotics Control Board to revoke this announcement, aiming to revert to a more controlled and medically-focused cannabis policy.