Cannabis Businesses at Risk of Closure

Mr. Carl Linn, author of the newsletter Cannabis in Thailand gave an interview with DW news predicted that more requirements will change the business landscape for recreational use in Thailand as the government are going to require all dispensaries to provide certificates of analysis. That’s an expense that will close down many dispensaries that are ineligible for a new license. Then there will be some kind of mandate for track and trace software for all dispensaries. As

“I think that the crazy, loud and overdone signage and the proliferation of the dispensaries will all go away. I think that over 65% of the dispensaries in Thailand will go away, so the landscape will look very different, Thailand try to reinvent the cannabis branding. So that cannabis in Thailand is seen within the context of wellness and health care.” Mr. Carl Linn said.

Thailand’s new prime minister has indicated the government will more strictly regulate cannabis sales, and the country’s dispensaries are concerned about the future. Thailand’s cannabis industry is in limbo as the government mulls plans to re-regulate the plant for medical use only.

May Kamkrad operates the Fat Buds in Bangkok’s Ekkamai neighborhood, She told DW that running the store has been life-changing. So she would be unhappy if any new regulation would prevent her from continuing to operate her business.

“I had to borrow money to open. For me, cannabis gives me a job, gives me work and has made me learn how to make money. I was working in a restaurant. Now, I make more money than before. My family and our lives have gotten better, and when I make money, I can support my family,” she said.
“I’msad because I won’t have a job to work. Maybe I’ll have to protest,” she added.

Gloria Lai, Asia Regional Director for the International Drug Policy Consortium, is concerned about who will benefit should new regulations come into force. The industry has grown a lot larger now. Whatever kind of new regulations are brought in are going to impact a large range of people.

“I think my concern is around the degree to which the government will be open and honest about what it plans to do around cannabis and not ending up with only a few elite, or large, powerful corporations able to profit from it, Then most of the local farmers and small business owners are shut out ” she told DW.

Recent data shows that over a million people have since registered with the Thai government to grow cannabis. There have been nearly 6,000 cannabis vendors that have opened throughout Thailand in the past year, with over 1,200 in Bangkok.

Picture and Data origin at dw.com and Matichon