National—
On April 1st, 2024, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, the Deputy Prime Minister, publicly mentioned after Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin gave a special interview to France 24, a French news agency, regarding bringing marijuana back into an illicit substance type as it caused more negative impacts to Thai people than economic benefits, according to the PM.
Regarding the current government policy to use cannabis for medical, economic, and research purposes, Anutin stated that he agreed as it was from the previous government in which he was the former Minister of Public Health.
When the policy was explained to the Thai Parliament, it was as if it had already been explained to all Thai people, remarked Anutin.
However, some members of the Thai government aimed to change the policy to list marijuana back to an illicit substance type which would criminalize marijuana once again, bringing jail time for even small amounts of the plant, and in which it could be used for medical aspects only.
The regulations enacted by the Thai Ministry of Public Health and relevant agencies indicating legitimate ways to use cannabis must be amended, and those who followed the regulations and had invested in the cannabis businesses should be compensated accordingly if this happened, considered Anutin.
Therefore, to change the cannabis policy, it should start by amending a layer of laws and regulations, stated Anutin, who preferred to regulate versus recriminalize the plant.
Assertively, Anutin emphasized that if used appropriately, cannabis and hemp would potentially increase economic value and generate massive income for locals. Many countries with advanced medical technologies also recognize marijuana used for medical aspects rather than recreational purposes.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
