Thailand’s Cannabis Flip-Flop: Legalisation’s Political Ping-Pong

You might be forgiven for losing track of Thailand’s cannabis position—because, frankly, so has Thailand. Just months ago, headlines were grim: cannabis was to be stuffed back into the prescription-only box. Clinics warned, tourists balked, and 10,000+ new cannabis businesses braced for the guillotine.

But wait—plot twist: they’ve reversed the reversal.

That’s right. Thailand’s final cannabis bill will not criminalise general use after all. There will be no return to blanket prohibition. Instead, the focus is on regulating sales, restricting advertising, and banning use near schools and temples (Bangkok Post, 2025).

In other words, they’re keeping cannabis legal—but now with a few boundaries and signs posted.

🚨 Where Was the Reporting on This?

You might not have heard about this update—because the same outlets that breathlessly published warnings of Thailand’s "return to the drug war" have been eerily silent about the government’s climb-down.

Search your feed: how many articles told you about the restriction plan? Now count how many told you it was cancelled. Exactly.

The cannabis sector in Thailand was pilloried, called premature, even dangerous. Yet now that it's been vindicated, the retraction has been muted. You won’t see many headlines celebrating that 10,000 businesses weren’t criminalised or that tourists won’t be jailed for a vape.

Even Time Magazine, which recently declared Thailand’s cannabis experiment "over," quoted the Thai Prime Minister saying cannabis reform would proceed only "if society is ready." Yet just days later, his administration allowed that same society to keep using cannabis—no criminal penalties required (Time, 2025).

And then there’s the Pattaya Mail, which summed it up perfectly: “Cannabis in Thailand is now neither legal nor against the law” (Pattaya Mail, 2025).

🌿 Policy Whiplash, But Progress Nonetheless

Let’s be honest—this flip-flopping is not ideal. Businesses were spooked. Patients confused. Regulators scrambled.

But here’s the bright side: Thailand has chosen not to criminalise cannabis again. That matters. It means public pressure, economic evidence, and (dare we say it) common sense still carry weight. The fact that they could walk back prohibition plans—twice—is evidence of a live democracy responding to a live issue.

It’s also a signal: the legalisation debate is not over when fear-driven headlines say it is.

And if you're wondering whether Thailand has a habit of quietly tolerating what it refuses to regulate, recall that the country also has no legal prostitution framework—despite a sex industry that openly flourishes across its tourism economy. This duality—strict law, informal leniency—offers a glimpse into what cannabis may become in Thailand: legal enough to use, risky enough to sensationalise.

🦘 Australia's Takeaway: Don’t Be Spooked by Progress

Australia should be paying attention—not just to Thailand’s over-corrections, but to the gaps in how they're reported.

Rather than panic or backpedal, now is the time to:

• Pilot adult-use access trials in states willing to lead.
• Offer home-grow amnesties for patients, as recommended federally.
• Develop a real hemp and cannabis strategy, not a patchwork of barely coordinated medical schemes.

Because when reform is slow and media attention is fleeting, the real risks are missed opportunities—and letting stigma write the next policy.

So yes, Thailand flipped. Then flipped again. But the real story isn’t that they changed their minds—it’s that the media didn’t seem to care when they changed it back.

We should.

Sources: Bangkok Post, The Nation, AP, Reuters, Thai PBS, Time Magazine, Pattaya Mail.