Near the grand conference halls in central Bangkok where Asian leaders will meet this week, a plethora of marijuana shops - the Thai capital's newest tourist draw - were bustling despite a controversy that threatens the growing sector
Since Thailand decriminalised cannabis this year shops selling homegrown and imported strains, pre-rolled joints and gummies sprang up rapidly.
A cannabis regulation bill to govern cultivation, sale, and consumption has been delayed in parliament, causing confusion over just aspects will be legal. The move was spearheaded by health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who framed marijuana as a cash crop for farmers and championed its medical use, but recreational use exploded.
"It was wrong to not have governing laws before unlocking cannabis ... it is not being used medically, but recreationally," he told reporters.
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