Thailand’s doctors have to show cannabis use for medical reasons in new form

The reversal of Thailand’s decriminalisation of cannabis in 2022 is a major setback for retail sellers of the drug across the country

Thailand has introduced a new prescription form as part of its measures to restrict cannabis usage for medical purposes, just three years after it became the first country in Asia to decriminalise the drug.

Issued on Monday, the “P.T.33” form will allow practitioners from seven professions — including doctors, dentists, pharmacists and traditional healers — to prescribe cannabis to patients suffering from 15 health conditions, according to a report from the Thaiger news website.

Doctors will be required to record in each prescription form patient details, including name, age, nationality, identification number, diagnosed symptoms, daily cannabis dosage, duration of use and total quantity to be dispensed.

The amount sold will be limited to 30 days’ supply for each prescription, and dispensers are required to keep such records for one year for government inspections.

The prescription form, which will apply to both locals and foreigners, will take effect soon.

It follows an order signed by Thai Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin last week, reclassifying cannabis as a controlled herb and banning dispensaries from selling it to those without medical prescriptions.

Somsak has also said that he would like to have cannabis reclassified as a narcotic in the future.

Somruk Chungsaman, Director General of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM), which is in charge of enforcing regulations related to cannabis, said: “This prescription form is designed to standardise the process for all dispensers. It will ensure that cannabis is used safely and effectively.”

The curbs are expected to deal a significant blow to an industry projected to be worth up to US$1.2 billion by this year.

Thailand’s cannabis retail sector has boomed since the drug’s decriminalisation in 2022, with tens of thousands of shops and businesses set up in areas typically frequented by tourists. Some 18,000 licensed cannabis retailers in the country will have to adapt to the new rules or risk closure.

Any person caught for violation could face up to a year in jail or a 20,000-baht (US$614) fine.

Thai officials have cited social problems caused by unregulated cannabis access, particularly for children and young people, as reasons for the new curbs.

The number of people addicted to cannabis had spiked significantly after it was decriminalised, according to a study conducted last year by the government’s narcotics control office and released recently.

The number of cannabis smuggling cases involving tourists in Thailand has also soared in recent months. The drug has been smuggled out of Thailand in luggage and by mail to the UK and other countries, according to a Bloomberg report.