A smartphone launch in Bangkok took us to the fringes of the tug-and-pull between agitated cannabis sellers and Thai authorities over its recreational use, which was somewhat legalized in 2022.

Cannabis shops have mushroomed in Thailand after its government decriminalized the sale and use of pot two years ago to open up its tourism sector, increase revenues, and decongest jails.

About 80 percent of the population in Thai correctional facilities are serving time for drug-related offenses; thus, decriminalizing cannabis use was seen as a way to stop more people from landing behind bars.

Smoking or vaping cannabis-based products in public or their use while driving motor vehicles presently merits nothing more than fines, but that may change soon.

Saying that the recreational use of cannabis has resulted in problems, including addiction and, to some extent, an increase in crimes committed, Thai authorities want to revert to the 2018 status quo.

At the time, only the medical use of cannabis products was allowed and only through prescription, primarily for their supposed therapeutic benefits and use in pain management.

The sellers, naturally, are up in arms — well, not literally — with a number we talked to deriding their leaders as child-like for blowing hot and cold on their policies.

They warned that criminalizing once again the recreational use of marijuana would only force them to go back underground after they had proved they could contribute to the economy while easing the problems associated with selling something illicit.

The Thai experiment with legalizing, first, the medical use of marijuana and, second, its recreational use, is very relevant to the Philippines amid efforts by some politicians along that line.

It may not be far-fetched to imagine a scenario in which the Philippines, after allowing the therapeutic use of cannabis, would later decriminalize its other non-medical use.

Thailand, however, is not the only model when it comes to the legalization of this stuff. Several countries have legalized it, like Uruguay (2013), Canada and South Africa (2018), Malta (2021), and several American states.

In some of these countries, studies have produced mixed results in establishing a correlation between cannabis use and crime.

Attributing changes in the crime rate solely to cannabis legalization has been debatable due to confounding factors such as socioeconomic conditions and changes in law enforcement conditions and practices.

For example, research done in Canada and Uruguay has not shown a significant increase in crime rates since legalization, maybe because of the reduced pressure on the black market and increased tax revenue for social programs.

In Bangkok, with the few interviews our tight schedule allowed us last week, any relationship between pervasive marijuana use and crime was complex to deduce, especially on a mere anecdotal basis.

Other studies suggest that well-regulated markets with restrictions on access and potency may lead to better outcomes and blunt problems like those that Thailand is experiencing with its cannabis experiment.

As things stand, various players in Thailand are batting for further research before re-criminalizing the use of the plant. Some say the evidence suggests that legalization does not necessarily lead to a surge in crime.

Whatever the case may be, insofar as the Philippines is concerned, it should thoroughly assess the move to legalize cannabis use so it doesn’t take a hit, as Thailand is now trying to clear the cannabis haze.