Thai cannabis dispensaries must become medical clinics to stay legal
Pressure on weed shops to meet strict healthcare compliance standards
Cannabis dispensaries in Thailand will need to transition into medical clinics to operate legally, according to the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine.
Doctor Somlerk Jeungsmarn, the department’s chief, stated that a draft ministerial regulation is in development to manage the medical use of cannabis, as the government aims to tighten its regulations on the plant.
This regulation will require a medical professional, licensed to sell cannabis, to be present at each shop. Dispensaries will also need to register as a hospital or clinic under the Hospital Act. The regulation will outline the process for issuing drug prescriptions, necessary for accessing cannabis medical products.
Currently, the department has issued 18,000 licences to cannabis shops across the country, though only a few are registered as a hospital or clinic. Of these, 12,000 licences will be up for renewal in November, and compliance with the new regulation will be mandatory by then.
“If they want to sell cannabis, they will have to switch to being a hospital or clinic under our new regulation; otherwise, they won’t be able to sell it,” Dr Jeungsmarn said. The aim is for the new regulation to be implemented within three months, ahead of the November licence renewal period.
This move is expected to terminate dispensaries that supply cannabis for recreational use. The department also plans to regulate cannabis medical product prices and has trained over 9,000 doctors who will be authorised to issue prescriptions, reported Bangkok Post.
The Public Health Minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, made waves on June 24 by announcing a major reversal in Thailand’s cannabis policy, signalling the end of the country’s short-lived era of recreational weed freedom.
Under the new regulations, cannabis will be strictly limited to medical use, requiring buyers to present both a prescription and a medical certificate to obtain cannabis products.
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