Thailand Cannabis “Reform” — Solving Problems or Just Handing the Market to Big Players?

[Thaidispensaryhub]

What's happening with cannabis in Thailand increasingly feels less like solving real problems and more like covering symptoms while gradually transferring the market into the hands of large players.

And many people still remember who helped create the illusion that everything would be fine:

• paid courses,

• industry "experts,"

• promises that organic cannabis would soon be fully accepted,

• endless talk about a bright future for small businesses.

So... did expectations match reality?

Now we constantly hear about:
"protecting health,"
"protecting children,"
"medical control."

But where were the actual educational programs during the last 3 years?

Where was:

• public education?

• clear tourist information?

• official harm reduction campaigns?

• basic guidance for responsible use?

Almost all education was carried by:

• small dispensaries,

• growers,

• independent workers,

• people inside the community itself.

And now those same people are being blamed for everything.

At the same time, stricter regulation will not remove the black market. History already shows this in many countries.

What usually happens instead is:
"medical" mass-market cannabis for the wealthy,
grey market and black market for everyone else.

That is not solving the problem.
That is treating symptoms.

Because the real issues were never only about cannabis itself.

Young people do not smoke cannabis simply because cannabis exists.
People do not lose motivation simply because cannabis exists.

The deeper problems are:

• low wages,

• poor working conditions,

• lack of opportunity,

• stress,

• social inequality,

• feeling disconnected from the future.

But those conversations are uncomfortable.

It is much easier to:

• create moral panic,

• find scapegoats,

• and under the language of "care" slowly hand the market to corporations, pharmaceutical groups, and politically connected investors.

The irony is that many of the people now trying to control the industry still do not truly understand cannabis:
not culturally,
not historically,
not socially,
and often not even medically.

For them, it is simply another regulated market.

But cannabis has always been more than licenses, branding, and corporate ownership.

What do you think?

[Prempavee]

We know from the begin that this was at risk to happens. In Thailand the community have forgot about the local farmers and there is no political power that can hold on this country without them. Along with the liberalization of the plant was the promise of an economical relief for the Thai farmers

So all small farmers from the poorest areas of Thailand , that by coincidence are mostly the best areas to grow ganja too, from the first year they have planted ganja anywhere hoping to make money with the plants

But the reality whent differently. The market did not accepted their products and the dispensaries from the cities they selling only indoors and illegal exports that do not look like Thai ganja at all

So nobody buyed the ganja from the farmers also because they was lacking of the infrastructures to deliver a product acceptable enough in modern time

So they have begun with a small prohibitions at the begin. Only licensed can selling and forbidden to pregnant women and under 21. Later they added forbidden to smoke in public. So this that are just rules of common sense (also for the pregnant women there are studies that they show that ganja can be beneficial) they made into mini prohibitions of “the law”

In main time the small farmers they start to complain about and they was not happy anymore of ganja because they cannot monetize

The community remained blind to them and everyone focus only in indoor and medical that is an important sector but should be considered what it is: a small niche not the main market

So now they promise to make more heavy prohibitions like medical cards, selling only in pharmacy, etc.. but the real problem is economic and is the same of before:

To make rich the small farmers and give them an opportunity is the only way to keep the ganja free in Thailand

We should not desist, and give effort to maintain freedom as is not something automatically guaranteed

Ganja is not dangerous if is outdoor organic, so nobody should be limited to grow, posses or selling local outdoors organic

Rules must be applied to the indoor and medical facilities only and to the chemicals

Why are even legal chemical products in agriculture?

[Thaidispensaryhub]

If we remove emotions and look at the situation as an economic process, the cannabis market in Thailand starts to look less like “chaos” and more like a predictable restructuring of a new industry. At first, legalization created an open frontier effect.
Thousands of small farmers entered the market because barriers were low and expectations were high. People believed cannabis could become a new agricultural opportunity, just like other profitable crops once did.

But then the second phase began: standardization and consolidation. This happens in many industries:

1. A new market opens

2. Large numbers of small independent producers enter

3. Oversupply appears

4. Prices collapse

5. Regulation increases

6. Large players survive more easily because they can absorb rising costs

Indoor producers, medical operators, pharmaceutical companies, and investors naturally adapted faster because they already had:
• infrastructure
• branding
• logistics
• laboratories
• marketing
• legal support
• stable financing

Meanwhile, many local farmers only had land, labor, and hope.

The problem is not that small farmers are “bad growers.”
The problem is that modern markets reward consistency, distribution, packaging, certification, and consumer trust more than raw agricultural potential alone.

This creates several economic effects:

• Commodification
Cannabis stops being a local cultural product and becomes a standardized commodity.

• Regulatory concentration
Every new license, lab test, or compliance requirement disproportionately hurts smaller producers.

• Market filtering
Only businesses capable of surviving low prices and heavy regulation remain.

• Dependence on middlemen
Farmers without direct access to consumers become dependent on dispensaries, brokers, or investors.

• Loss of biodiversity
When markets favor only a few commercially optimized strains, local genetics and experimentation slowly disappear.

So what could actually help?

Possible solutions:
• farmer cooperatives
• shared drying, curing, and testing facilities
• education in branding and direct sales
• regional organic certification systems
• support for local landrace genetics
• tourism connected to local farms
• transparent pesticide standards applied equally to everyone
• legal frameworks that distinguish industrial mass production from small-scale local farming

The goal should not be “no rules.”
The goal should be preventing a system where only corporations can realistically participate.

A healthy cannabis economy should allow coexistence between:
• local farmers
• craft growers
• medical producers
• researchers
• dispensaries
• and larger companies

instead of forcing them to replace one another.

[Prempavee]

I feel this text has been written or over edited during translation by AI . I tell you like this because i know you are phisically in Thailand but this text seems written by someone who is not here for real.

Free market isn’t “chaos” the regulated market is chaos because force a set of rules that as they are written they become static when we all know very well that reality is impermanet and not static. So , even most of people tend to behave that rules they bring order we can easly verify that is true the opposite, liberalism brings much more order.

The collaps of prices is not necessarly a bad thing in my opinion but a natural step to transitioning from prohibitions to legal. Ganja is cheap to produce and has to be cheap to buy. Said that producers and resellers that have an exclusive product they can keep prices high without any problem because the customers they recon the quality and the trust

Regulations they make sense only in specific sectors of the cannabis world , like for example the medical flowers that are chemically grown or that are for exports or for clinics. But to apply the same rules to all other sectors of the cannabis production is a big mistake and is not sustainable. Big players will initially feel in power but very soon they will also lose control and prohibitionism will be present again.

the “big players” they should focus on how to coordinate and collab with small players and instead of investing on bulb lights cement and fake substrate they should invest on free laboratory of analysis for small farms, drying curing collective facilities and other infrastracture of this kind

This way Thailand will be the most competitive country on the sector. But only this way. cannot pretend Thailand to be leader of indoors… Thailand is the land of sun, and is the mother of some of the most ancient genetics

[Thaidispensaryhub]

You simply focused on the wrong part of what I’m trying to say. The point is that very few people think about the farmers in general, because helping farmers is not especially profitable. By chaos I mean it became more like a fever, where even people who had never grown plants before all started going into this business. As we noticed, even big players with all their marketing sometimes lose, so what can we say about farmers who do not really understand marketing. The screws are being tightened for monopolization, and most likely DTAM will become the main seller of cannabis in the future. And the rest will remain in the grey zone and on the black market. The saddest part is that people will once again start being fined and discredited simply because they cannot afford the legal system.

[Thaidispensaryhub]

In addition, pharmaceutical companies and medical regulators cannot truly patent cannabis itself, which is why additional barriers are being created for people who have been growing cannabis for generations. At the same time, both the very sweet genetics and all these GACP standards often look more like mass market systems than real medicine. Mold can appear at many different stages and practically anywhere, so most likely this whole “medical cannabis” game will eventually lead to even more production of non-recyclable plastic.

[Prempavee]

Yeah now I recognize you ! Well we definitely mostly agree on the whole concept. Now the point is to understand how to support the equation. Even those who try to monopolize the weed will end to lose their positions without the small farmers. Sometimes is normal to think they act just “for the money” or “only for themselves” but , in my opinion, reality can be more complex. Because after a full century of demonization of the ganja now even the doctors are bit confused and scared as during prohibitionism was even forbidden to study and talk about so now some of them , in particular those who don’t have personal experience of cannabis use, think that is better to control. I believe we must push a little other nations to take the same result ion of Thailand in 2022 to remove all plants and mushrooms from the yellow list and free the prisoners. This will give back confidence to the internal mood and we can hope for a regulated market that is not an oppressor of the users , growers and consumers that do not wish to stick to it and keep the plants and the people who love the plants to live in peace for the benefit of all human kind!

[Prempavee]

I agree. We must find the way to make outdoor organic to be considered medical. Because actually is the true medicine. Indoors are a surrogate never , or at least almost, they can get to the same level of quality/price.

The only problem with outdoor organic is that the learning curve is slower. So this is why I keep telling that we need to wait to write regulations at least 10 or even 15 year because the regulations must be designed in favor of the natural way.

Of course the indoor and greenhouse they dominate the market in the first few years because the expertize is more easily replicable. But Thailand to be competitive need outdoors organic!

[Thaidispensaryhub]

In my opinion, if cannabis simply grew freely everywhere, there would be far more benefit than harm.

[oldemarine]

Aloha & first things first.. FOLLOW the money.

[Prempavee]

True but relative. Politics seeking a controlled market they look for small easy money. Politics seeking for full liberalization they take a risk because they oppose the general trend imposed by US fifty years ago but the seek for the big money. So in our case maybe this time the ones who look for the big money are the good people?

[Hopla]

The next bill is really a recriminalisation of cannabis: no right to grow at home, no use at home without “reasonns approved by the governmnet” 60.000 baht fine…

I saw it coming when they banned recreational use, and pushed for a medicalisation of cannabis.

Their goal: confiscate the plant and its revenue, give the market to big industries (surely big Pharma and agri-food industry will massively invest in the “making” and processing of cannabis derived products), and kill the little farmer’ business.

This is really a very bad news.

[Prempavee]

Kitty is very controversial figure in the world of cannabis activism in Thailand. She very famous and she is published by many main medias like NYtimes and other international and national level. I was also attracted by her for the work she has done pre liberalization. But once ganja has become legal in Thailand she did not give up the figth and she begin a new campaign asking for rules and restrictions. Many people in Thailand learn to disagree with her had no way at all to get a confrontation. My self I can tell this experience: when I asked why she was pushing new regulations to re criminalize ganja in Thailand she blocked me and was never possible any dialogue.

Now she is back fighting liberation? I don’t believe her

[Hopla]

Interesting, I only knew she was asking for more regulations as she had a lot of expenses with her shop in Asok (that she ended up closing) while unlicensed sellers just put a table on the sidewalk on both sides of her shop and made unfair and mostly unbothered competition.

I thought she was only playing in the politicians’ way just to obtain sensible laws as we all knew the unregulated market had to end eventually (unfortunately, as it was really nice hopping freely from one improvised shop to another)

What she is denouncing now is really the base of re-criminalisation of cannabis, I can’t see why or how she couldn’t be honestly against it.

I was shocked, when the first bill aiming to medicalise cannabis was proposed, to see the cannabis community almost accepted it without a fight, and I said next time they’ll come for your right to grow at home.

I commented her declaration on Instagram where she announced they would manifest against it after the election, it should have been done before the election. After they are elected they do what they want, if you want the politics to commit to your goals you have to act when you have leverage (before the election).

I sincerely think everyone should fight against that bill, it will impact every person interested in cannabis. If that bill passes,“little” independent farmers will be the next target: big farms will be supported, and repression and fines will focus on your kind of growers.

I humbly think it’s time to unite (even with all the differences between the actors, and keeping them in mind for a further resolution) now they’re talking about fines of 60.000 baht, prison sentences will come down the road if they feel no resistance.

Just my 2 cents, of course you have a better view of the situation as you are in the action for many years now

[Thaidispensaryhub]

The problem we are seeing now is actually quite common: the industry is unable to unite around shared goals. Large businesses believe they can adapt to the new requirements and absorb the additional costs, while small businesses are simply trying to stay afloat and remain in the market.

As a result, instead of speaking with one voice, the industry is divided into dozens of different opinions. Some are asking for exemptions, others support the new regulations, and others are looking for compromises. This lack of unity makes it difficult to build a strong movement and significantly reduces the chances of reversing or revising decisions that affect the entire industry.

[Hopla]

Exactly what I felt.

Any cannabis enthusiast (grower, consumer, big players) should unite and defend very simple principles, some of them could be:

• anyone should be allowed to grow its own cannabis (without limit of storage like wine amateurs who can store as many bottles as they want)
• anyone can consume cannabis at home, and in some public places designed for that matter (without annoying the neighbour, with a reasonable understanding of “annoying” because there will always be the “cannabis Karen” hysterically vocal about “that smell”)
• recreational (or “recreapeutic”) use needs to be legal and different from true certified medical use (which should be on another level and involving Health ministry, universities and Medical sector): dispensaries/shops/farms with dispensary can propose to consume their products on their premises without a doctor prescription.

Even the big players have a lot to gain with recreational legalisation, as medicalisation will end up in a monopole of few “big Pharma+agri-industries+tobacco industry reinvestment” consortium.

It’s crazy how Thailand is trying to do a a 360-degree turn that will only benefit a few people only interested in confiscating cannabis’ revenues.

[Prempavee]

If you take time to read the bill that kitty was proposing you will see that is not very different from what is happening now. So nobody who have studied her proposals will follow her anymore, unless of course they agree with her or they did not read them

I’ll try to see if I can find but was some months ago so not sure I saved

People in the cannabis world that consider the need to regulate ganja more heavily than Camomile or Tea for me are anti- cannabis people

Ganja is not dangerous, even less dangerous than Camomile and Tea, so why they want regulate? For their own money business not another reasons

But if they want make money with the ganja they should make trough fair competition not cutting others out with regulations

So this people they all are ANTICANNABIS people, no matter if they smoke at home

How we can unite with ANTICANNABIS people?

[Hopla]

As I don’t read Thai I only had access to some traduction of what she proposed, and never saw anything related to outrageous regulations (I obviously missed some points).

I’m with you on the fact that cannabis should be treated as tea or coffee.

The problem is that people (and lawmakers, public opinion…) can’t be easily brought to our point of view without first stopping to “more reasonable” laws acting as a decompression chamber-like from their reefer madness mindset.

I cited Kitty without knowing all the above you stated, which seems problematic.

With that in mind, I still think all cannabis activists should unite because of the seriousness of the situation (I’m pretty sure prison sentences are the next step in the lawmakers mind to confiscate the plant’s revenues).

[Prempavee]

Yes we definitely need unity on this. But in Thailand we already won the fight, it should not be us going around making protests. Let the anti-cannabis people to do that

In Thailand what I believe we need is to raise the voices of those who where in jail and have been liberated, and more importantly move the profits of the market to the small farmers

Thailand is a mostly rural country and the small farmers they make the difference on pools. Make them rich and ganja will never be illegal again. Cut them off from the market and ganja will be back to the dark side very soon.

[Hopla]

I respectfully disagree about that: nothing is won until it’s written or voted by the parliament or recognised by a bill.

All it takes to put back consumers in jail is a bill passed without reading the “forums opened to public scrutiny”.

Prohibitionists don’t need to manifest their protest, they only need an interested politician who only needs a pen.

I am 100% with you about the freed cannabis amateurs and activists, and the importance to make their voice public.

I’m 1000% with you about small farmers that should benefit from legalisation, I’m not convinced their importance in rural Thailand is as influential as Coca cola or any other big player’s lobbyist coming to Bangkok with some suitcases and promises to create jobs opportunities… against a licence and laws according him the monopoly of cannabis (made in facilities: from growing it to bottling the final “hemp product”).

Aren’t little farmers already cut off from the market with the GACP certification ?