May 19, 2025 – At the Department of Thai Traditional Medicine and Alternative Medicine, public health networks led by the Addiction Studies Foundation, Community Risk Reduction Networks, and Youth Health Promotion Networks submitted a letter to Public Health Minister Pattana Prom-Pattana through Dr. Tewanchai Thaneeratana, Deputy Director of the Department of Thai Traditional Medicine and Alternative Medicine, urging accelerated passage of a cannabis control bill through the Cabinet and Parliament. The networks presented five public sector proposals to guide Thailand's cannabis control framework.

Dr. Tewanchai explained that since the drug law amendment, cannabis flowers are no longer classified as narcotics, but extracts containing more than 0.2% THC remain controlled substances. The Public Health Ministry now regulates cannabis as a "controlled herbal medicine" through three rounds of regulatory adjustments to tighten control over its use and distribution.

Currently, cannabis users must have a doctor's prescription, and new cannabis shops can only operate as medical facilities, pharmacies, herbal product retailers, or pharmaceutical manufacturers. This has forced many cannabis shops to close—Thailand previously had over 18,000 shops, but only about 7,000 have renewed licenses. An additional 4,000 shops are expected to close by year-end for non-compliance.

Dr. Tewanchai noted that current law has loopholes as it only regulates those seeking formal licenses. The Health Ministry is therefore accelerating a new cannabis bill to close these gaps. The draft law will require permits for anyone growing, selling, or using cannabis outside medical or research purposes, with penalties of up to one year imprisonment and 20,000 baht fines for recreational users.

The draft bill is currently under government public comment until May 21, followed by 30 days of detailed legislative review. If the timeline holds, the department will submit it to the Cabinet by July. Dr. Tewanchai confirmed that all public sector proposals will be studied and considered by the legislative committee to create comprehensive and balanced legislation.

Meanwhile, Watchrapong Poomchuen, director of the Addiction Studies Foundation, noted that despite some medical benefits over nearly four years since cannabis was removed from the narcotics list, Thailand has faced significant social impacts including recreational use, youth access, community problems, and an unwanted international image as a "Cannabis Destination." The public health networks submitted five key demands to the Health Ministry, including stricter recreational use prohibitions.

The Thai Football Association has parted ways with Marco Gokcel, head coach of Thailand's U-17 boys football team, after the team's exit in the first round of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup. The association expressed gratitude to Gokcel and his coaching staff for their commitment and hard work throughout their service, with the contract ending following the final tournament held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2026. Thailand managed only one point from a draw with Myanmar in the group stage and missed out on a berth in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The Thai U-17 national team will compete in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers scheduled for November 2024. The Football Association of Thailand has wished all staff members success in their future endeavors, and the technical committee will now consider appointing a new head coach to lead the team moving forward.

On May 19, relatives of victims from the May 16 train-bus collision near the Asoktdindan railway crossing gathered at the Police Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine to claim bodies for religious merit-making ceremonies. At 2:30 p.m., family members of 66-year-old Euang Manocharm, known as Aunt Eiang, submitted documents to claim her remains for a ceremony at Namdan Temple in Samut Prakan. Throughout the document submission process, family members wept openly as they prepared to take her body away. Today, four victims' relatives visited Makkasan Police Station to collect documentation and retrieve remains from the forensic institute. The confirmed victims include: 1. Thanatphipat Khiaowwijit, 21, a third-year computer science student at Silpakorn University in Nakhon Pathom; 2. Vibharaksa Phaoprui (nicknamed Rose), 25, a former mass communications graduate from Kasetsart University currently working as a graphic designer and operating a pub in the Bangna area; 3. Thiam Puangyod, 57, a company housemaid in the Phra Tuklom area; 4. Euang Manocharm, 66, a housemaid at a company near Chulalongkorn Hospital. Remaining identified victims' relatives will gradually retrieve bodies from the Police Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Thailand's sprint cycling team has achieved 15th place in world rankings and 4th in Asia, with plans underway to send the Asian Games roster to Tianjin, China for a training camp. General Decha Hemakrasri, president of the Cycling Association of Thailand, announced that the national short-track cycling team competed in two consecutive Japan Track Cup events on May 14-17, with riders Jai Angsudasavitya ("TJ") and Norsatida Bunyama ("Naew") competing in keirin and individual sprint categories. Jai advanced to the semifinals in both keirin events while Norsatida reached the semifinals in Japan Track Cup 1. Both riders achieved times under 10 seconds in the 200-meter time trial sprint but fell short of advancing further, though Jai progressed to the final eight in Japan Track Cup 2's sprint event. The performances allowed both to increase their world ranking points—Jai gained 390 points to reach 45th place globally with 1,817 total points, while Norsatida earned 238 points to climb from 104th to 36th place. Beyond these two, the sprint team also includes Yunyong Petcharat ("Makham"), a key member considered for the 2028 Olympic Games. The team now ranks 15th globally and 4th in Asia, with Japan at 8th, Kazakhstan at 10th, and China at 12th. The association plans two-phase training camps in Tianjin—the first from June 20 to August 20, returning for the Track Asia Cup 2026 international competition at Hua Mak Velodrome on August 28-30, which includes world ranking points for 2028 Olympic selection, followed by the second phase from September 1-20 before returning for the Asian Games. The track cycling competition will run from September 29 to October 2. Athletes selected for the China training camp include Jai Angsudasavitya, Norsatida Bunyama, Yunyong Petcharat, and First Lieutenant Chutathip Monipun ("Phaluanbee"), who will compete in the omnium event, with other athletes still under consideration due to budget constraints.

Warning: State Welfare Card Holders Beware of Street Vendors—Your Benefits May Be Fraudulently Used. Never give your ID card or 6-digit PIN code to unreliable vendors or street cart operators.

On May 19, 2025, Thanachoke Rungthipanont, Deputy Director-General of the Bureau of the Royal Household and official spokesperson, revealed that the Bureau has received numerous complaints from welfare card holders unable to access their benefits because their card privileges were fraudulently used at merchants in other provinces—places they never visited.

Investigations uncovered that some registered welfare program merchants operating mobile carts in various areas have been accepting payment through the Bag application for Blue Flag stores and cooking gas discounts. They lure cardholders with promises of cheap goods or product exchanges like eggs and cooking oil. These fraudsters photograph ID cards, record the 6-digit PIN codes, then share this information with other Blue Flag and cooking gas merchants, who subsequently drain the welfare card balance in the following month, leaving legitimate cardholders unable to use their benefits.

When cardholders contact the State Welfare Card Call Center at 0-2109-2345 to investigate, they discover their benefits were used at merchants in provinces they never visited.

Therefore, welfare card holders must exercise extreme caution and absolutely never provide their ID card or 6-digit PIN code to unreliable vendors or street cart operators.

If your benefits have been fraudulently used, immediately change your 6-digit PIN code. You can do this yourself at Bangkok Bank ATMs. If you forgot your 6-digit PIN code, visit a Bangkok Bank branch to verify your identity and set a new code.

Cardholders can file complaints about Blue Flag stores fraudulently using their welfare benefits at the Internal Trade Department's hotline: 1569. For complaints about cooking gas vendors, contact the Department of Energy Business at 0-2794-4307 or 0-2794-4111. Provide the name and address of the merchant that fraudulently used your benefits. For further inquiries, call the Bureau of the Royal Household Call Center at 0-2270-6400 during business hours.