00:00The cannabis shop selling ready-roll splits and fruit-flavored gummies across Thailand
00:04could soon disappear. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis in
00:092022, promoting it as a way to revive the economy after the pandemic. The public opinion has shifted
00:15as voters head to the polls. At first, the policy enjoyed broad support. Cannabis was pitched as a
00:22new cash crop for farmers and a boost for Thailand's medical tourism industry. But the lack of clear
00:27regulations after decriminalization has allowed the industry to mushroom far beyond original
00:32expectations. And that has created an ease of access that has sparked public concern. Some
00:38researchers say that while medical use has increased only slightly since decriminalization,
00:43recreational use has surged nearly tenfold. Doctors report a rise in hospital admissions
00:48and parents worry about cannabis use and addiction among children. Against that backdrop, major
00:54political parties have signaled support for tougher restrictions to clamp down on recreational
00:58use or even a full reversal of the policy. But the ruling Pumzhai Party, whose leader Prime
01:04Minister Anutin Chenwergun has been called the cannabis champion, has remained notably silent
01:09on the future of an industry once projected to be worth more than a billion dollars. As civil
01:15society groups pushed to make cannabis illegal again, many advocates and entrepreneurs warn that
01:20tougher rules could force him out of business and drive the industry back underground.
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