Thailand bans cannabis use in universities

BANGKOK, 20 June 2022:

Thailand today prohibited the consumption of cannabis and marijuana products on university campuses – days after the country removed the substance from its list of barred narcotics.

The measure is intended to control the use of cannabis and the sale of food and drinks with marijuana in educational centres, according to a statement from the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry.

The government agency said students and staff of educational agencies cannot use cannabis for recreational purposes, while those who take it medicinally must be under the supervision of medical personnel.

Universities will also organise activities to educate students on the proper use of medical cannabis to address the potentially harmful health effects of this psychoactive substance.

New Bangkok governor Chardchart Sittipunt approved Wednesday the restriction of cannabis use around schools in the Thai capital.

Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia on June 9 to decriminalise the personal cultivation of marijuana for medical use through a confusing law that does not criminalise recreational use.

The partial decriminalisation is part of the policy to promote the medical use of cannabis, which was already legalised in 2018, although derived products cannot contain more than 0.2% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabis’ psychoactive component.

Although the purpose is purely medical, festivals have been held since the legislation came into force where attendees smoke marijuana “joints” and cannabis buds are openly sold on Khaosan, Bangkok’s backpacker street, and elsewhere.

Thailand passed a law in December 2018 to legalise the use and research of medical cannabis, although its implementation through concrete regulations has been slow to develop, and in 2019 it began supplying medical marijuana for pain relief to some patients in hospitals.

In 2021, authorities approved the use of the leaves of the plant – which do not contain THC – as an additive in food and drinks.

– EFE