The new regulations – set to be enforced by the end of the year – will leave around 2,000 of Thailand’s estimated 18,000 cannabis shops in operation, a Ministry of Public Health official said on Tuesday.
That is because most shops currently operating will not be able to meet the strict new requirements, said Somlerk Jeungsmarn, chief of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM).
The new rules will require every cannabis outlet to employ an approved resident doctor who can issue prescriptions for cannabis as a controlled herbal substance. The products must also be sourced from certified suppliers and tested for contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides and fungi, according to reporting by the Bangkok Post.
Cannabis was officially designated a “controlled herb” in June, under an order signed by Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin. The reclassification means the plant can now only be used with a licensed medical prescription, and all professionals authorised to prescribe it must undergo training approved by the health ministry.
“Until enforcement begins, they [retailers] will use the prescription for controlled herbs instead, and the professionals performing this task must be trained by the department,” said Somruek Chungsaman, director general of the DTAM.
