Somsak vows to reverse Bhumjaithai’s cannabis legacy

Marijuana to be relisted as narcotic under Category 5

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin on Tuesday reaffirmed his determination to reclassify marijuana as a Category 5 narcotic, effectively outlawing its recreational use once again. He also made clear that the Bhumjaithai Party’s cannabis control bill would never be passed during the current government's term.

Somsak, who has long opposed the liberal cannabis policy initiated under the previous government, told reporters at Government House that marijuana “will definitely be put back” on the narcotics list.

Bhumjaithai’s cannabis policy under fire

The Bhumjaithai Party, led by Anutin Charnvirakul, made cannabis legalisation its flagship campaign policy before the 2019 general election. After joining the Prayut Chan-o-cha government, Anutin, as public health minister, pushed through the decriminalisation of cannabis and hemp in September 2022. The policy aimed to allow use for medical treatment and encourage related Thai businesses.

However, since becoming public health minister under the Srettha Thavisin administration following the 2023 general election, Somsak has led efforts to reverse that policy — putting him on a collision course with Bhumjaithai.

Paetongtarn’s balancing act and coalition rift

When Paetongtarn Shinawatra succeeded Srettha as prime minister, she announced that her government would continue supporting the medical and commercial use of cannabis, a move seen as a bid to maintain coalition unity with Bhumjaithai, then the second-largest partner.

Somsak, retaining his health portfolio in the new Cabinet, initially softened his stance, stating that the Public Health Ministry would instead focus on protecting children from marijuana misuse.

However, following Bhumjaithai’s withdrawal from the coalition government last week, Somsak has returned to his hardline position.

Bhumjaithai’s cannabis bill dismissed as “a daydream”

“It’s a daydream,” Somsak said in response to Bhumjaithai’s earlier claim that its cannabis control bill would be enacted during this administration.

He explained that the bill had stemmed from the decriminalisation of cannabis but argued that relisting the plant as a narcotic was essential to address the problems caused by its unregulated use.

Somsak said that when marijuana was removed from the drug list in 2022, the government should have passed a law to regulate its use within 120 days, as recommended by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board — but no action was taken.

Somsak accuses Anutin of policy failure

Somsak also accused Anutin of hypocrisy, noting that while Anutin had justified decriminalisation on medical grounds, he never issued the required ministerial regulation to control its use. This oversight, he said, allowed more than 10,000 cannabis shops to open without sufficient oversight.

He denied, however, that the renewed crackdown and push for relisting cannabis were politically motivated by Bhumjaithai’s exit from the coalition.

“This has to be done because the issue has dragged on too long. The government has received a large number of complaints related to cannabis abuse,” he said.

New rules ahead as relisting process begins

Somsak added that he was close to relisting cannabis during the Srettha administration, but the government was dissolved by the Constitutional Court before he could complete the process.

In the meantime, the Paetongtarn administration has declared cannabis a “controlled herb” under the Traditional Medicine Act.
On Monday, Somsak signed an order requiring buyers of medical cannabis to present a doctor’s prescription and a medical certificate confirming a condition requiring its use.

Tighter controls for cannabis shops

He also revealed plans for a new directive to regulate the licensing and renewal of cannabis shops. Under the proposed rules:

• Shops must have doctors on-site.
• Authorities will conduct monthly inspections.
• Shops found violating regulations twice will have their licences revoked.

These measures follow a round of public hearings conducted by the Public Health Ministry between May 22 and June 10.