The Land of Smiles has more to smile about as the country undergoes a rapid liberalisation of rules in recent weeks.
The Thailand Pass registration scheme will soon be lifted from 1 July
2022, doing away with the need for international travellers to
pre-register their visit to the country or show proof of a US$10,000
health insurance requirement. Both requirements were already removed for
Thai nationals since 1 June 2022.
At
the point of entry into Thailand, international travellers will only
need to show proof of either a certificate of vaccination or a negative
RT-PCR or professional ATK test result within 72 hours of travel.
The outdoor mask mandate will also be lifted from 1 July, while
events with over 2,000 participants still require facial masks and
official permission.
The Thai authorities have also approved the designation of Bangkok
and 76 provinces as the green zone, allowing resumption of new normal
businesses and activities nationwide. Nightlife venues will be able to
stay open until 2am.
Meanwhile, another liberal rule has gotten the whole country abuzz.
Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise marijuana
for medical purposes on 9 June, and many businesses including
restaurants and cafes have since jumped onto the cannabis bandwagon by
offering dishes and beverages made with cannabis and hemp leaves.
Although
it is no longer illegal for Thais to cultivate cannabis and hemp for
home and medicinal use, the health authorities in Thailand have urged
the public to smoke on private property or risk facing heavy penalties.
Tourists, too, are reminded that they may smoke marijuana for medical
or health promotion purposes, but smoking weed for fun or any other use
could land them in prison.
Using marijuana may cause brain and other disorders, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.