Thai PM threatens to ‘shut down’ cannabis industry after global smuggling spike

AI Summary

Thailand's Prime Minister has threatened to shut down the cannabis industry following a global increase in Thai cannabis smuggling incidents reported in the UK, Germany, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. Despite legalizing cannabis in 2022 for medicinal purposes, widespread recreational sales persist amid ongoing legislative debates over cannabis control.

A spate of seizures of Thai cannabis in the UK, Germany, Indonesia and Hong Kong has cast a shadow over the Southeast Asian nation’s decriminalisation of the plant. Thailand became the first Asian country to decriminalise cannabis in 2022, promising a lucrative new cash crop for a market intended strictly for medicinal use. But four years on, with lawmakers still wrangling over cannabis control legislation, high street dispensaries have proliferated for recreational sale, while growers hit by...