Last Friday, Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly’s (NLA) public health committee submitted draft amendments to the Health Ministry to reschedule cannabis and kratom for medical and research purposes. After reviewing the bills, the Ministry forwarded them to the Cabinet for consideration.
The proposed amendments to the country’s 1979 Narcotics Act would move cannabis and kratom from Category 5 to Category 2 and permit their import, export, possession, and medicinal use.
The Cabinet approved the draft amendments on Tuesday before sending them back to the legislature with proposed changes to be made before a final vote, which may take place before the end of the year.
“This is not the liberalisation of marijuana,” said government spokesperson Buddhipongse Punnakanta. “This doesn’t mean people are allowed to grow marijuana in their backyards. It will still be under control.”
But even though cannabis will be tightly regulated, and designated for medicinal use and clinical research at first, full marijuana legalization may yet be in Thailand’s future.
“If we let it be used recreationally, our society is not ready yet, so I want to do this first step first,” said Somchai Sawangkarn, the lawmaker behind the amendments. “From allowing the making of medicine, maybe in six months or a year’s time, if society is ready, it could become a food supplement…and eventually that could lead us to its recreational use.”
Once final versions of the amendments pass the legislature, the Public Health Ministry will be working with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board to establish possession, cultivation, and other pertinent regulations.
