Saying Goodbye to 2025
thailandTHC Issue #109
Sawadee Everyone,
Another month, another year, another stack of cannabis headlines that prove one thing: weed is complicated, powerful, and still wildly misunderstood, especially when governments try to manage it with one hand tied behind their back.
I’ve always warned that Thailand’s domestic politics can be a bit of a roller coaster and 2025 didn’t disappoint. We saw yet another PM removed from office, flip-flopping on cannabis policy, Anutin becoming PM, and new regulations that seem not too radically different from Pheu Thai’s policies.
My take on the new regulations coming is that Anutin is eyeing the 2026 elections and realizing now that he has been in the PM spot and has been handling the conflict with Cambodia, he and his party actually have a shot at returning to power, so he’s not going to invite any additional scrutiny by softening the cannabis policy. He can point to it and declare that it’s mostly Pheu Thai’s policy so they shouldn’t have anything negative to say about it (but of course, they will - hypocrisy is lifeblood of politics).
Whether he enforces it is an entirely different matter.
That puts us back in limbo land again should Bhumjaithai end up having to bring in People’s Party or assemble a large coalition government. And we’re even more in uncharted territory if Bhumjaithai is shut out of any new government.
We’ll see how this all plays out over the coming weeks and months but expect a lot of uncertainty going into 2026.
Until then, let’s jump into the current news.
🧠 Science, Health & “Wait, That’s Actually Interesting”
Cannabis, brains, and nuance (a concept policymakers keep missing):
A new study suggests prenatal THC exposure may be linked to lasting brain and behavioral changes.
👉 Translation: cannabis isn’t harmless in every context, and pretending otherwise helps no one.
On the flip side, legal marijuana access appears to reduce suicide rates among older adults.
👉 Funny how mental health outcomes improve when people have safer coping tools.
Heavy drinkers who smoke cannabis reportedly consume less alcohol overall.
👉 If public health were the goal, this would be front-page news.
Researchers also found soil type can significantly alter cannabinoid concentration, a big deal for Thai growers working across wildly different regions.
Bonus science: Non-intoxicating cannabis compounds may help reverse opioid-related brain changes.
👉 Meanwhile, some governments are still pretending cannabis is the problem.
🌏 Policy, Politics & the Global Green Shift
The world keeps moving, Thailand included, even when it hesitates:
The US took a massive step when Trump ordered the reclassification of cannabis, signaling a long-overdue shift in federal drug policy.
👉 Once the US moves, the dominoes tend to fall.
A new report shows the War on Drugs is actively making the climate crisis worse.
👉 Prohibition: bad for people, bad for the planet, bad all around.
Governments are finally admitting the obvious: marijuana regulations protect public health better than alcohol rules.
👉 Someone please forward this to every moral panic committee.
🇹🇭 Thailand: Progress, Panic & Policy Whiplash
Thailand’s cannabis story continues to be… uniquely Thai:
New rules were approved that tighten the screws on dispensaries.
👉 Growing pains were always part of the plan, though clearer communication would help.
At the same time, many Thais remain unaware of alcohol’s health risks.
👉 The irony is thick enough to hotbox a room.
Multiple international cases highlight the ongoing disconnect between Thai legalization and foreign enforcement:
A Thai woman jailed in Taiwan for cannabis is seeking urgent deportation due to a heart condition
Large cannabis shipments traced back to Thailand intercepted overseas
👉 Legal here does not mean legal there. Say it louder for the tourists in the back.
🧬 Culture, Tech & “Of Course This Exists Now”
Scientists demonstrated that AI can be used to design new cannabis strains.
👉 Somewhere, a breeder just muttered “back in my day…”
Meanwhile, reports of cannabis-induced ‘scromiting’ (yes, screaming + vomiting) are rising, usually linked to overuse, high-THC products, and lack of education.
👉 Regulation + education > prohibition + headlines.
🧾 Final Toke
Cannabis is a tool, and like any tool, outcomes depend on education, regulation, and honesty.
Thailand took a bold step by legalizing. That deserves credit.
Now comes the harder part: refining the system without panicking, backtracking, or pretending alcohol isn’t sitting right there causing far more damage.