Although Thailand has effectively decriminalized marijuana, it doesn’t want pot-smoking tourists. “We don’t welcome those kinds of tourists,” Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told local media.
Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asian to legalise cannabis for medical purposes but hasn’t outlawed recreational use.
Pot rooms have become popular with locals and foreign visitors, which are currently tolerated.
However, big fines or prison time could be dished out for anyone lighting up a joint in public.
Anutin said the government’s cannabis policy is geared solely towards medical and health benefits including for medical tourism.
Still, a recreational cannabis policy ‘might come in the near future,’ he said.
