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Thailand’s status as the “wild west of weed” is under threat from new restrictions, amid a growing black market for illicit cannabis exports to the United Kingdom.

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Jonathan Head
South East Asia correspondent

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            <span class="sc-d1200759-2 gwFzuU">Reuters</span>
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    <figcaption class="sc-536eff7b-0 FPsqq">Since Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022, shops selling the drug have popped up across the country.</figcaption>
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    <p class="sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS">Thailand is trying to rein in its free-wheeling marijuana market. The government has approved new measures, which will soon restrict consumption of the drug to those with a doctor's prescription in the hope that this will help regulate an industry some describe as out of control. The public health minister has also said that consumption of marijuana will be criminalised again, although it's unclear when that could happen.</p>
    <p class="sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS">Ever since the drug was decriminalised in 2022, there has been a frenzy of investment. There are now around 11,000 registered cannabis dispensaries in Thailand. In parts of the capital Bangkok, it is impossible to escape the lurid green glare of their neon signs and the constant smell of people smoking their products.</p>
    <p class="sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS">In the famous backpacker district of Khao San Road, in the historic royal quarter, there is an entire shopping mall dedicated to selling hallucinogenic flower heads or marijuana accessories. Derivative products like brownies and gummies are offered openly online - although this is technically illegal - and can be delivered to your door within an hour.</p>
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c056l0dgg8jo

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