Thailand Drug Hub: Cannabis Deregulation Spirals Without Control
A Thai MP warns that cannabis deregulation since 2022 has turned Thailand into a global drug hub, with nearly 3,000 smuggling cases and 300,000 kilograms seized in eight months, while psychiatric cases from use tripled to over 20,000 annual
Speaking at Parliament on July 8, 2025, Nathapong Ruengpanya, a list-system MP and Pheu Thai party leader, criticized the government's cannabis deregulation policy, stating that Thailand is now becoming a global cannabis export hub and is viewed by international governments as a base for transnational criminal gangs and drug traffickers. Customs data from October 2024 to May 2025 document nearly 3,000 cannabis smuggling cases involving over 300,000 kilograms worth approximately 4 billion baht, with many additional cases escaping detection overseas—including recent seizures of 23 kilograms in Hong Kong, over 1.2 tons in Poland and Germany hidden in shipping containers valued at 450 million baht, and 3.37 tons of high-quality cannabis flowers seized in Indonesia.
Ruengpanya attributed this deterioration to 2022, when Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, then Public Health Minister, removed cannabis from the drug list—a move at odds with destination countries that maintain cannabis as an illegal narcotic. The impact on Thai citizens is stark: psychiatric cases from cannabis use surged from approximately 6,500 in 2019 to over 20,000 in 2023—a threefold jump—following deregulation.
The MP argued that deregulating cannabis without sufficient legal safeguards has failed to address critical gaps. There is no minimum age requirement for purchasing cannabis products, unlike strict regulations governing alcohol, tobacco, and lottery tickets. Producers operate under only three license types—sales and processing, export, and research—but notably lack a manufacturing license. This gap means authorities cannot track total cannabis stocks or production volume, making oversight impossible.
Ruengpanya called for immediate government action, urging the Prime Minister to directly oversee relevant agencies, including the Narcotics Control Board, to establish comprehensive short-term solutions. While Pheu Thai supports medical cannabis use, the party insists that proper legal controls—which have been neglected for four years under Anutin and the Bhumjaithai party—are essential to prevent the current spiral of problems.
