Asian travelers flying to Thailand to get access to cannabis may have to rethink their trips as the country moves to re-criminalize the drug. As of Thursday, June 25, dispensaries now require customers to provide doctor’s prescriptions to sell them marijuana, while cannabis buds have been reclassified as a controlled herb. Thailand Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin told CNN he hopes to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic, reversing an earlier legislation to decriminalize its recreational use.
In 2018, Thailand became the first country in Asia to legalize medical cannabis, with South Korea following suit later that year. In 2022, cannabis was removed from Thailand’s narcotics list, allowing for its recreational use. This caused the cannabis industry to boom in the country, with almost 11,000 dispensaries selling products from local farms.
The industry has even drawn tourists in, especially from other countries with tighter legislation. In 2022, the industry was projected to hit $1.2 billion this year. But with the recent order, Somsak said, “Thailand should not be seen as a destination for recreational cannabis use.”
In the Netherlands, another country with relaxed laws on the sale and use of cannabis, restrictions for tourists differ from one city to the next. Amsterdam’s “coffeeshops” or cannabis stores are generally open to locals and tourists of legal age, but cities such as Maastricht and Breda ban non-residents from buying cannabis.
In the Philippines, marijuana is illegal, but lawmakers are pushing for its medicalization and regulation. Senator Robin Padilla filed the Cannabis Medicalization Act in the 18th and 19th Congress, proposing the “acquisition, possession, transportation, delivery, dispensing, administration, cultivation, or manufacturing [of cannabis] by private individuals or entities only for medical and research purposes.”
In a 2022 privilege speech before the Senate’s budget hearings, Padilla said that a medical marijuana industry could fund government programs. “As we plan how to spend our limited funds wisely, let us not forget the hard-earned contributions of our taxpayers. In this light, we must boost the economy, and this is where medical cannabis can play a major role.”
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