Thailand again criminalises cannabis

A Thai girl spruiking a
legal cannabis shop
in Chiang Mai, Thailand

In a sad regressive move, conservatives in Thailand have ended the legal sale of cannabis for recreational use. The government claims there was an increase in addiction (it's not addictive) and usage by under-18s (The legal shops had strict age and other limits, criminal dealers don't). The trade will now revert to underground suppliers, restoring a lucrative source of bribery to police and officials. Legalising it brought a tourist boom to the Covid-stricken Thai economy and created a billion-dollar industry which paid taxes. It's a lose-lose move. 

The loose laws legalising pot were widely criticised as they spawned unlicensed shops which were allowed to flourish, bringing down the price and putting pressure on legitimate sellers. A logical response would be to tighten the laws and their enforcement, not to ban it. Prohibition is expensive – the state loses tax income and spends a heaps on enforcement. 

Meanwhile consumption of alcohol, which is far more harmful, fell during the period of legalisation (see graph below).

While medicinal cannabis will still be allowed, the new laws are already smashing the thriving industry. Medical growers and sellers face stiff regulatory hurdles with growers required to meet new medical certification which is very expensive and time-consuming. Small growers complain this drives them out of business. Meanwhile dispensaries must employ medically qualified staff.

Cannabis will be re-classified as a narcotic, regressing to the old days of failed US-style prohibition and absurdly treating it the same as heroin or cocaine.