High alert: Phuket to zone out cannabis amid tourist backlash
Phuket officials plan proposal seeking cannabis zoning from government
Phuket officials are cracking down on the island’s cannabis free-for-all, announcing plans to restrict where weed can be sold and smoked after a flood of complaints from locals and tourists.
Governor Sophon Suwannarat revealed on Tuesday, June 17, that local officials are pushing to create designated “green zones” for cannabis sales and consumption. The move aims to control the island’s booming weed industry, which critics say has spiralled out of control since legalisation, tarnishing Phuket’s image as a family-friendly destination.
“We’ve received a number of complaints about the smell and its impact on the tourism image,” said Governor Sophon during his opening speech at the Phuket City Council meeting at City Hall yesterday, June 18.
The meeting marked the first gathering of the newly elected council, following May’s local elections and recent approval by the Election Commission of Thailand.
According to an official report, Phuket City Municipality is preparing to send a formal proposal to the central government requesting zoning regulations for cannabis businesses.
A previous letter had already been submitted, urging tighter control to prevent weed shops from popping up near schools, key tourist attractions, and residential areas.
“Initially, they want the Ministry of Public Health to issue an announcement or authorise local governments to control areas for selling and consuming cannabis, similar to how entertainment venues are regulated,” Governor Sophon explained.
The urgency behind the push is clear. Complaints have poured in from residents and international tourists alike, with concerns ranging from the overpowering odour to fears of negative influence on youth and community safety.
Today, June 19, further discussions were scheduled between senators and local government bodies to escalate the zoning proposal to the national level.
“This is about safeguarding both our communities and our tourism appeal,” the governor added. “We’ll have to wait and see which areas are approved or restricted.”
The explosion of cannabis shops in Phuket followed the 2022 decriminalisation of cannabis, led by Anutin Charnvirakul, now serving as both Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. Anutin previously served as Minister of Public Health during the Prayut government and has long championed the cannabis cause, reported The Phuket News.
But with the green rush triggering public backlash, even cannabis’s most vocal supporters may be forced to rethink the rules — or risk Phuket’s reputation going up in smoke.
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This Smell is rediculous sometimes when riding on the streets. We smoked ganja too when we was a bit younger but this shlt they are smoking nowadays is too strong and has nothing to do with the once announced HEALTH BENEFITS of the Drug. And it is still a drug. I also wonder how Police check for people smoking this strong stuff and after riding their motorcycle or car on Phukets roads. I mean they check only for Alcohol (sometimes) after an accident happend, do they ever check for Cannabis?
People riding around and staring holes into the sky instead looking at the streets, we all know Phukets roads are dangerous without drugs, we dont need more drug addicts here and for sure we do not need the smell. Someone smokes on the beach and you can smell this crap from 1-200meters away. Let them smoke in closed rooms in their freakn Weed shops shooting like mushrooms everywhere. Every 10m a Weedshop, its enough!
My undersanding (and that of TAT) is that smoking cannabis in public spaces is illegal, surely if that law was enforced many of these issues would be eliminated
Alcohol is linked to over 30% of road deaths in Thailand. Cannabis? No solid data tying it to accidents here. Tourists aren’t crashing scooters because they smoked a joint… they’re doing it drunk at 3am in flip-flops.
Meanwhile, the legal weed scene is creating jobs, pulling in tourism money, and giving local farmers a real income stream. Killing that over exaggerated smell complaints is like banning durian because foreigners whine
Regulate it, sure. But don’t throw away an entire industry
Sensible regulation should be applied but is there really a tourist backlash over some weedy smells? I doubt it. Overpricing, overcrowding, drunk yobs, Russification are far more problematic.
Even as someone who’s pro cannabis, I find it obnoxious of others to smoke around those who may not. I really think it should only be legal to grow and consume for personal use at home. It really shouldn’t be legal to sell it, especially not at a retail store front.
That all said, I avoid the tourist traps no matter what and I have always done whatever I want in the privacy of my residence despite whatever some arbitrary rules say, when it comes to such matters.