#Marijuana

Three years after breaking new ground as the first Asian country to decriminalize cannabis, Thailand is now reining in its green ambitions amid a whirlwind of controversy, regulatory confusion, and social challenges. Effective from this week, new laws require Thais and tourists alike to have a doctor’s prescription to purchase cannabis, sharply curtailing the euphoric “green rush” that swept the nation and turned once-conservative streets into thriving hubs for weed enthusiasts and curious travelers alike. The abrupt policy turn aims to restore some order to a marijuana industry that, by many accounts, spun out faster than policymakers or the public could process, igniting national debate over its economic contributions, social costs, and the pathway forward.

A wave of new research is drawing unprecedented connections between marijuana use and serious cardiovascular risks, overturning widely-held beliefs that cannabis is relatively harmless. Large-scale studies published in mid-2025 point to a significantly increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death among users of marijuana—a finding that experts caution should inform personal and public health choices in Thailand and worldwide (The New York Times; Fox News; Virgin Islands Consortium).

As marijuana use undergoes rapid normalization, with legal medical and recreational access expanding across the world, researchers warn that its cardiac dangers are becoming clearer and more urgent. In Thailand, where medicinal cannabis was legalized in 2022 and recreational use remains in legal limbo, these findings arrive as lawmakers and public health officials debate the way forward in marijuana regulation and education (CNN).