During the last decades, the legalisation of cannabis has become a hot topic of debate. In countries like the Netherlands, Mexico and Canada, lots of research has been conducted to understand the...Show moreDuring the last decades, the legalisation of cannabis has become a hot topic of debate. In countries like the Netherlands, Mexico and Canada, lots of research has been conducted to understand the effects of, and reasoning behind legalisation. Limited research however exists on the legalisation of cannabis in Asia. Recently, Thailand became the first Asian country to delist cannabis from its Narcotics Act and legalise the drug nationwide. The motives behind this decision however had not been clearly examined or understood. Therefore, the objective of this thesis has been to gain a comprehensive understanding as to why the Thai government decided to legalise cannabis in June 2022 by delisting it from the Narcotics Act, despite its historical ‘war on drugs’ and strict penalties for drug users. By making use of a qualitative research approach, secondary sources have been examined to determine which factors were particularly influential in this decision. Based on the conducted research, it can be concluded that the cultural-historical, political and economic environments of Thailand had just been right for the legalisation of cannabis. To clarify, the political gains that candidate Anutin Charnvirakul could achieve by legalising cannabis in Thailand was of high importance. By campaigning for the legalisation, Charnvirakul aimed to gain support from two important societal groups, as it helps to promote his political party for the upcoming elections in May 2023. Additionally, the decision has been driven by economic motives, because the legalisation of cannabis offers Thailand huge economic opportunities, such as attracting lots of tourists, and becoming a strong competitor in the international cannabis market.Show less
