Thailand has spent more than six months trying to pass a law to control the use of cannabis, but this legal vacuum is likely to continue for some time.
Many lawmakers believe the Marijuana and Hemp Bill, which has already been shot down once, will not be passed during this Parliament, which is scheduled to be dissolved in March for a general election tentatively scheduled for May 7.
Meanwhile, the legal vacuum has spawned businesses ranging from plush cannabis emporiums to streetside cannabis stalls to food trucks serving cannabis-spiked hamburgers. Backpackers on Bangkok’s Khao San Road now have several cannabis parlors to choose from.
“This is happening because we don’t have a specific law governing the use of cannabis,” said Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn. “While the authorities have introduced some regulations to control cannabis use, enforcement is lax. Police don’t make arrests because they think they are not legally authorized to do so”.
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