Bangkok: “Somsak” confirms that in the future, cannabis will definitely return to being a narcotic drug, indicating that new applications and license renewals must be made with additional ministerial regulations, viewing the completion of the Cannabis Control Act in this government as a dream, dismissing the crackdown on cannabis as politics, saying that it has been a chronic problem for a long time.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Somsak Thepsuthin, Minister of Public Health, spoke about the policy of bringing cannabis back to being a narcotic, saying that in the future, it should be returned to being a narcotic because today there are still many things that are complicated with past actions, such as the case of the announcement of being a controlled herb according to the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Protection Act, which announced the establishment of shops selling cannabis or harvesting and various parts, but never mentioned medical operations, which did not emphasize medical operations until the Prime Minister ordered him and the Prime Minister’s advisors to meet and discuss, with the implementation since May 14, 2025 that cannabis must be for medical purposes only.
After that, we listened to the public’s opinions from May 22 to June 10, which the public accepted. Yesterday (June 23), I signed an announcement for medical cannabis only. People who want to buy cannabis must have a prescription from a doctor and a medical certificate stating the illness. As for the new business licenses that will be applied for or renewed, I will have to create a new ministerial regulation, including the requirement that there must be a doctor in the shop. Or if there is a monthly inspection and there is a violation of the law twice, we will confiscate the announcement and license. But it will not be as easy as issuing an announcement. It will be the power of the minister who must listen to the public’s opinions. In the past, it took 45 days since the Prime Minister issued the order, which has now been completed.
As for whether the Bhumjaithai Party wants to push for the Cannabis Control Act in time for this government, Mr. Somsak sees it as a dream and a dream. If you look, you will find that the said law is a result of the Narcotics Code, which was brought into consideration and became the Narcotics Code in November 2021. Section 29 indicates that two types of Category 5 narcotics have been removed from the law: kratom and cannabis. It also gives the Minister of Public Health the power to make the announcement himself, listening to the opinion of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), which at that time had a deputy prime minister as chairman. Therefore, since Category 5 narcotics do not include cannabis, the law may have to be completed within 120 days, according to the opinion of the ONCB. However, it was not completed and tens of thousands of shops opened because at that time the law was not announced. In addition, the Medical Protection Act was not clear, but there was an announcement for buying and selling and gro
wing, which was a political statement that did not match the heart and mind, saying that it would be medical but it was not written in the control of the Ministry of Public Health. I have explained this matter to the government and they have assigned me to take action within 45 days.
Regarding the crackdown on cannabis while the Bhumjaithai Party withdrew from the coalition government, it was linked to a political game to chase Bhumjaithai. Mr. Somsak said that it was not, but this was a chronic problem, for which we received many complaints, especially during the government of Mr. Settha Thavisin, the former Prime Minister, in which we tried to make cannabis a narcotic, and today it is possible to make it a controlled herb for medical use, but in the future it will be a narcotic.
When asked again that it was previously noted that the Ministry of Public Health during the time of Dr. Cholanat Srikaew, former Minister of Public Health until the present, did not resolve the issue of cannabis because it might have been considerate of the Bhumjaithai Party that was still in the government, Mr. Somsak said that opinions were diverse and not quite consistent. In the government of Mr. Settha, they wanted to bring it back as a narcotic. If there was action and no one objected during that time, in just one week, it would be brought back as a narcotic because he had already completed the action and would bring it to the ONCB meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, but there were political problems so it could not be done. However, today he thought it was a good thing, so he decided to follow the guidelines for controlling the use of cannabis for medical purposes.