BANGKOK — Thailand became the first Asian country to decriminalize cannabis in 2022. The policy has faced backlash, and seen a lot of changes, since being enacted.

It is now more strictly regulated for medical purposes, but its future is unclear.

Cannabis decriminalized

An amendment to the Narcotics Law in 2022 dropped cannabis from the list of controlled drugs. The effort was led by then-Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, head of the Bhumjaithai Party, which made legal cannabis a major part of its campaign platform in the 2019 general election. The party’s stronghold is in the poor northeastern region, where it promised farmers that cannabis would be a new cash crop.

Thailand’s cannabis industry grew at lightning speed, with thousands of weed dispensaries opening all over the countr

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