Monitoring the 6-month trial lifting the alcohol sales ban from 2:00 to 5:00 PM: Will it stimulate the economy or increase risks? A survey found 84% of the private sector supports it, while opponents remain concerned about accidents, crime, and youth access to alcohol.
Following the government's policy to lift the alcohol sales ban between 2:00 and 5:00 PM, effective from 3 Dec 2025 GMT+7 for a 180-day trial period, aiming to boost the economy and promote the tourism industry. After 6 months, detailed evaluations on economic, health, and social impacts will determine whether to extend the measure. The Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI) is among the agencies involved in the working group, playing a key role in providing research data to assess these impacts.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Public Health, Minister Puttana Prompat revealed after attending the Alcohol Control Committee meeting that the panel was updated on progress assessing the impact of extended alcohol sales hours. Data on drunk driving rates from the Disease Control Department's injury surveillance system showed an overall decrease compared to the same period last year.
Regarding drunk driving after extending alcohol sales from 2:00 to 5:00 PM, the average hourly drunk driving rate is lower than the same period last year. The downward trend is consistent over several weeks without any spikes observed. However, these are preliminary data from a limited period; the full 180-day trial data collection is still underway.
Meanwhile, on guidelines prohibiting alcohol sales to intoxicated individuals, Dr. Montien Kanasawat, Director-General of the Disease Control Department, and Dr. Sutath Chotnapant, Deputy Director-General, stated they are drafting a department announcement outlining preliminary assessments of alcohol intoxication symptoms. This will be a law issued underthe Alcohol Control Act.The second edition of the Alcohol Control Act of 2025 CE, which has completed public consultation on preliminary intoxication assessment guidelines. The announcement is expected to be finalized around March, before the Songkran festival. Meanwhile, vendors can use the preliminary intoxication assessment guidelines to screen for intoxication. However,the Alcohol Control ActSection 29 prohibits selling alcoholic beverages to intoxicated persons.
The law’s principle is to prohibit sales to those under 20 years old and to intoxicated individuals. Once this announcement is issued, if a buyer causes an incident later and the seller is proven culpable in court, the seller will face penalties. However, if the seller can prove no involvement, they will not be held liable.
Associate Professor Dr. Jaruwaporn Srisasalak, Deputy Director of the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI), revealed that supporting research to evaluate the impact of lifting the alcohol sales time ban is a pivotal policy shift in alcohol control and sales. This project focuses specifically on studying the effects of limited sales hours according to the World Health Organization (WHO) framework. From 15-29 Nov 2025 GMT+7, a public hearing collected feedback from 12,404 respondents, mostly from the private sector, showing 84% private sector approval and 67% government approval. Supporters see the policy as boosting the economy and tourism, while opponents—mainly health and NGO groups—express concerns about accidents, crime, and youth access to alcohol after school.
However, during the recent New Year festival, the risk of death from drunk driving was 4-5 times higher than usual. It was also observed that youth are becoming a new target group for alcohol sellers. Economically, total tourism revenue in some areas has not shown clear growth, but some restaurant operators have reported improved sales.
The working group proposed analyzing stakeholders to understand influences and opinions across all groups and encouraged cooperation in sharing data to make the research useful for national policy decisions. Since any decision on this measure will have broad impacts—including on public health—options must be considered to implement supporting measures if alcohol sales hours are extended, aiming to mitigate possible negative effects.