Thailand drug policy

Three years after becoming the first Asian nation to decriminalize cannabis, Thailand is readying new legislation that will restrict the drug to medical use.

The draft legislation seeks to curb recreational use of cannabis products, but stops short of relisting the plant as a narcotic.

The plan to ban the drug, two years after its historic decriminalization, has opened up a political rift in PM Srettha Thavisin's coalition government.

Late last week, a drug control committee approved a proposal to relist the drug as a narcotic by the end of the year.

The move comes less than two years after the Thai government became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize the cultivation and consumption of marijuana.

The country is tightening its laws on marijuana use, just 18 months after becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to legalize the drug.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told a local news outlet that he only supported the use of cannabis in medical settings.

In recent years, Myanmar-based drug syndicates have driven a regional boom in the production of amphetamine-style stimulants.

In June, the country became the first in Asia to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. But a booming recreational market has prompted a sharp backlash.

Thailand becomes the first country in Southeast Asia to decriminalize marijuana.

Allegations of corruption and rough treatment of suspects by police in Thailand are not unusual, but a video leaked of the fatal assault last year, prompting action.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnivakul said the move marked the beginning of "a new history for cannabis" in the country.