Government officials in Thailand have decided to re-prohibit cannabis after decriminalizing the plant three years ago, threatening the $1 billion industry that has blossomed since the reforms, Reuters reports.

Thailand was the first country in Asia to adopt significant cannabis reforms; critics of the decriminalization policy, however, have argued that the industry was left under-regulated. Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin signed the order on Monday, and the new policy will prohibit the sale of cannabis products to customers without a medical prescription.

“Cannabis will be classified as a narcotic in the future.” — Somsak, in a statement

The rule change is set to take effect after appearing in the Royal Gazette, the report said.

A 2024 opinion survey by Thailand’s National Institute of Development Administration found that 75% of Thais supported the government’s proposal to relist cannabis as an illegal drug.

The policy change has been a stated priority of the ruling Pheu Thai Party — which previously had vowed to recriminalize the drug — but its members were held back by their former coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, the Associated Press reports. The Bhumjaithai Party recently exited the coalition, however, amid fallout from a leaked phone call between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and a former leader of Cambodia.

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People who used psychedelics during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic showed “improvements in mental health,” supporting the idea that “beneficial effects on mood and anxiety associated with these substances may extend beyond controlled conditions” that can also apply in moments of “global crisis,” according to a new study.

Researchers at Imperial College London set out to investigate how the use of various drugs impacted mental health outcomes amid the pandemic, drawing on survey data from UK residents from 2019 to 2022.

On average, people who consumed drugs “had worse average mental health scores relative to drug-naive individuals at all timepoints,” the study found. But people who used psychedelics and marijuana “showed average improvements in depression, anxiety and overall mental health from pre-pandemic to January 2022, becoming on par with the drug-naive group.”

Interestingly, the study, which received support from the UK government-funded National Institute for Health Research, said those improvements did not appear for “cannabis-only users, whose worse mental health scores persisted.”

“Those who used psychedelics may have experienced some improvements in mental health across the pandemic timeframe, which supports the idea that beneficial effects on mood and anxiety associated with these substances may extend beyond controlled conditions,” the study authors said.

The findings were based on surveys involving 377,678 respondents between December 2019 and March 2022. They were disaggregated into six clusters: People who used cannabis only, cannabis and cocaine, cocaine only, psychedelics and cannabis, poly-drug and no drugs.

“Naturalistic use of psychedelics is associated with longitudinal improvements in anxiety and depression during global crisis times.”

“Mental health in most drug use clusters remained stable over time, except for the psychedelics and cannabis cluster,” the study found. “At follow-up, this cluster showed significant within-subject improvements. Comparing pre-restrictions data to January 2022, individuals in this group had significantly worse depression and mental health composite scores than drug-naive individuals at baseline, but these differences diminished over time, with no significant differences relative to drug-naive individuals remaining at follow-up.”

“Anxiety scores also dropped significantly in this cluster, though the differences from drug-naive individuals did not reach statistical significance at either baseline or follow-up,” it said. “Further analyses suggest this might be due to individuals in this cluster generally using fewer drugs by January 2022 relative to their pre-pandemic baseline. By contrast, cannabis-only users consistently showed poorer mental health across all symptoms compared to drug-naive individuals, suggesting the change in mental health scores might be related to the additional use of psychedelics within that cluster.”

The researchers said the observation on psychedelics “accords with previous findings that link naturalistic use of psychedelics to improved mental health.”

The study also lays out “several pertinent explanations” for the trend.

“At the population level, drug users have worse mental health than drug-naive individuals–and it could be that (novel) use of psychedelics, albeit less drug use more generally, during crisis times, normalises those differences,” it says. “Another possible explanation is that the context is more influential in driving the effects of psychedelics than it is in driving the effects of other drugs.”

There are limitations to the study, however. including the fact that it was “fully automated online” so researchers “did not conduct the sorts of interviews that are sometimes used to provide comprehensive baseline data on participants’ drug use histories, which limits our ability to assess the influence of prior drug use on mental health.”

“For instance, we did not collect data pertaining to dosage, frequency or context of drug use, which are likely important in determining mental health outcomes, nor have we gathered specific information on other drugs individuals may use in the UK, such as amphetamines,” they said.

“Future research should investigate whether the observed changes in mental health within the psychedelics and cannabis cluster are driven by alterations in the use of cannabis, psychedelics or their combined effects, particularly given their prevalent concurrent use; or whether they are a product of other synergistic or independent factors (such as the quality of interpersonal relationships, concurrent treatment for mood disorders or lifestyle changes),” the study concludes.

Meanwhile, another recent study found that taking a high dose of LSD, coupled with assisted therapy, led to “greater reductions in depression” among patients compared to those who received a low dose of the psychedelic.

A separate scientific review on psychedelics as a possible treatment for substance use disorders found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy “showed significant reductions in alcohol consumption and high smoking cessation rates” and has potential to lessen opioid dependence.

In 2023, meanwhile, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced a $1.5 million funding round to further study psychedelics and addiction.

Other recent research has also suggested that psychedelics could unlock promising new pathways to treat addiction. A first-of-its-kind analysis in 2023 offered novel insights into exactly how psychedelic-assisted therapy works for people with alcohol use disorder.

Last year, meanwhile, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, identified the treatment of alcohol use disorder as one of a number of possible benefits of psilocybin, despite the substance remaining a Schedule I controlled substance under U.S. law.

The agency highlighted a 2022 study that “suggested that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.” The research found people who were in psilocybin-assisted therapy had fewer heavy-drinking days over 32 weeks than the control group, which NCCIH said “suggests that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.”

High Doses Of LSD Lead To ‘Greater Reductions In Depression’ Compared To Low Doses Of The Psychedelic, New Study Finds

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[PRESS RELEASE] – CALGARY, Alberta, June 27, 2025 – High Tide Inc., the high-impact, retail-forward enterprise built to deliver real-world value across every component of cannabis, announced that its Canna Cabana retail cannabis store located at 1439 Henderson Highway in Winnipeg, Manitoba, will begin selling recreational cannabis products and consumption accessories for adult use on June 27, 2025, and that its Canna Cabana retail cannabis store located in The Well shopping mall, at 486 Front St. West in Toronto, Ontario, will begin selling recreational cannabis products and consumption accessories for adult use on July 1, 2025.

These openings bring High Tide’s total store count to 202 Canna Cabana locations across Canada, including 83 in Ontario and 12 in Manitoba.

WINNIPEG, MB LOCATION

Conveniently located just off Chief Peguis Trail—a major traffic artery in Winnipeg—this grocery-anchored plaza offers excellent visibility and easy accessibility. The area benefits from strong co-tenancies and serves a local population of approximately 10,000 within a 1-kilometer radius, with limited competition nearby. As the first Canna Cabana in Winnipeg’s north end, this location opens access to a new and untapped customer base, supporting the company’s continued expansion in the city.

TORONTO, ON LOCATION

The Well is a newly opened, state-of-the-art mixed-use shopping mall located in the heart of downtown Toronto. This vibrant destination seamlessly blends high-end residential, entertainment, and commercial spaces, and is home to a diverse range of retailers, acclaimed restaurants and a modern reimagining of the traditional food court—Wellington Market—featuring dozens of top-tier food vendors. The company’s new Canna Cabana location is ideally situated adjacent to the entrance of Wellington Market, which sees thousands of visitors daily, and is just steps from the outdoor plaza, which serves as a hub for year-round events that draw significant foot traffic.

“Both the Manitoba and Ontario markets continue to deliver strong results for our Canna Cabana network, and we’re thrilled to deepen our footprint in these high-potential provinces,” High Tide founder and CEO Raj Grover said. “In March, our stores across both provinces delivered annualized revenue run rates significantly above the national average, underscoring the strength of our differentiated discount club model and loyalty ecosystem. These results reaffirm our decision to reinvest our cash flows into targeted expansion, bringing even more Canadians into the Cabana Club.

“I also want to thank the Government of Manitoba for passing Bill 9, which will help level the playing field by limiting controlled access licenses to communities with fewer than 5,000 residents. This important shift ensures age-gated cannabis retail remains in the hands of responsible operators, protects youth and supports the long-term viability of licensed cannabis stores across the province.”