Cannabis Liberalisation and Reversal

How Thailand removed cannabis from its narcotics list in 2022, leading to thousands of shops, and then moved to restrict it again, showing the risks of unplanned liberalisation.

In June 2022, Thailand became the first Asian country to decriminalise cannabis.

The goal

The government aimed to boost agriculture and medical cannabis as a cash crop.

What happened

Cannabis was removed from the narcotics list, but a detailed law regulating sales wasn’t passed.
Thousands of cannabis shops opened, especially in Bangkok and tourist areas.
Recreational use spread, which wasn’t the stated intention.

Concerns

Youth access.
Health effects.
Unregulated products.

Reversal

Governments moved to restrict cannabis to medical use, and in 2025 rules required prescriptions for purchases.

Lesson

Liberalising without a regulatory framework can create unintended markets and reversals.

Comparison

Unlike Canada, which built a regulated legal market, Thailand’s liberalisation was unplanned.

The street of shops

Within months of decriminalisation, a street in Bangkok had dozens of cannabis shops, many selling to tourists.

Thinking liberalisation is simple

Without rules, Thailand's reform created an unregulated market.

Key takeaways

Thailand decriminalised cannabis in June 2022.
No detailed regulating law followed.
Thousands of shops opened; recreational use spread.
Rules tightened to medical use by 2025.