
Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to decriminalize and legalize Cannabis back in June 2022. Since then over a million people have registered to grow Tree and about 12,000 shops have opened to distribute. With Thailand already being a beautiful and cheap global travel destination,the legalization of cannabis Intertwined perfectly with its popular nightlife and party culture.
With the recent election of Thailand’s new prime minister Srettha Thavisin nicknamed “Nid” on the 22nd of august, Many shops and cafes are feeling uneasy. Nid has promised to rectify Thailand’s cannabis policy and also limit its use to strictly medicinal purposes all within the next 6 months. Thailand’s booming cannabis tourism market could face some changes or restrictions. Nid while running for office promoted a hardline anti-narcotics campaign. During an Interview in New York Ned told Bloomberg television that the cannabis law will need to be rewritten. “It needs to be rectified. We can have that regulated for medical use only” said Nid.
The loosely regulated market has generated lots of revenue but also lots of problems. Thailand has long been considered the main conduit for drug trafficking along southeast Asia’s Mekong River valley. In most Asian countries, the use and possession of cannabis will carry jail time and heavy penalties. Some areas like Singapore, penalize offenders and traffickers with the death penalty. Only time will tell the future of the cannabis business in Thailand. Many US businesses have invested and opened tree shops in Thailand including famous United States brand/company Cookies.
Thailand Growers
Many different agricultural farmers in Thailand decided to make the transition to growing cannabis when it was legalized in June. Switching from crops like watermelon and rice to cannabis became very common. With farming flourishing and legalization booming it seemed as if the newfound Market would be unstoppable, but soon more problems arose. In the article written by Peter Gelling and published by Insider, cannabis growers in Thailand spoke about being undercut by illegal cannabis imported from the United States. This along with local corruption and greed has led to a decline in locally produced cannabis in Thailand.






