Buying cannabis in Thailand may get harder

A woman works inside a cannabis shop on Khaosan Road, one of Bangkok's favourite tourist spots, on March 29, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)
A woman works inside a cannabis shop on Khaosan Road, one of Bangkok's favourite tourist spots, on March 29, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)

The days of easily buying marijuana in Thailand may soon be over.

Four years after the Bhumjaithai Party won almost four million votes on a vow to decriminalise cannabis, most of the parties in Sunday’s general election want to limit the use of cannabis to medical purposes.

“I don’t want my children to grow up in a country where drugs are easy to find and cannabis is liberalised,” said Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai Party, at a recent rally.

Since decriminalisation took effect about a year ago, cannabis has become a hot issue dividing political parties as well as the nation’s 52.3 million voters. Those opposed to the policy often cite growing concerns over the negative societal impact of the drug.

Now there are an estimated 4,500 dispensaries that distribute it in every province, the cannabis industry was expected to be worth US$1 billion by 2025, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Now everyone is waiting to see how the weekend vote turns out.

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Vocabulary

  • decriminalise: make not criminal, so that people can do activity without breaking the law -
  • dispensary: the place that hands out medication and drugs to patients undergoing medical treatment in a hospital or clinic -
  • general election (noun): an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections (Source: Wikipedia) - การเลือกตั้งทั่วไป
  • liberalise: the freeing up of something; removing regulations and restrictions - การเปิดเสรี
  • party: an organized group of people who have similar ideas about the way in which a country should be governed, and who work together to try to persuade people to vote for them in elections - พรรค การเมือง
  • societal (adj): connected with society and the way it is organised - เกี่ยวกับสังคม
  • vote (n): a choice made, especially in an election -
  • vow: a serious promise - สาบาน
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