Pot-smoking tourists not welcome in Thailand, says health minister

BANGKOK, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Thailand’s well being minister on Wednesday discouraged vacationers from visiting the nation solely to smoke weed, simply two months after new legal guidelines had been handed which have largely decriminalised the drug.

“We do not welcome these sorts of vacationers,” Anutin Charnvirakul instructed reporters when requested about leisure marijuana use amongst overseas guests.

In 2018, Thailand grew to become the primary Southeast Asian nation to legalise hashish for medical use. In June, all the plant was decriminalised, resulting in widespread leisure use. learn extra

Regardless of the federal government’s pleas towards getting excessive, hashish companies with particular smoking rooms have been successful with locals and guests. learn extra

However these smoking in public danger dealing with a three-month jail sentence or fines of as much as 25,000 baht ($705.82).

Anutin’s feedback come at the same time as overseas arrivals begin to decide up within the tourism-reliant nation. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economic system expects 8 million to 10 million arrivals this yr, above an earlier forecast of seven million.

Final yr, the pandemic slashed overseas arrivals to simply 428,000, in contrast with a document of almost 40 million in 2019.

Thailand has centered its hashish coverage on the 28 billion baht ($790.29 million) trade constructed round its medical and well being advantages.

Anutin stated, nonetheless, leisure use may very well be explored as soon as there was higher understanding of the drug.

“It would come within the close to future,” he stated.

Thailand’s hashish coverage has additionally drawn curiosity from regional neighbours like Malaysia, which is finding out using hashish for medical functions. learn extra

($1 = 35.4300 baht)

Enhancing by Kanupriya Kapoor

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Ideas.