Thailand has proposed a new legislation that would outlaw the use of cannabis except for medical and health-related purposes — an effort to rein in recreational consumption since the nation became the first in Asia to decriminalize the plant.
Smoking as well as use of cannabis and extracts for recreation would be banned according to the draft bill published on Tuesday by the Health Ministry, effectively a U-turn from a landmark legislation by a previous government that took effect in June 2022. Since then, thousands of marijuana and weed-related shops and cafes have opened nationwide, many of them in tourist areas and business districts.
