National —
On July 5th, 2024, Dr. Surachoke Tangwiwat, the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Health, publicly revealed after a meeting of the Narcotics Control Board regarding the draft announcement by the Ministry of Public Health, classifying cannabis and hemp as illegal narcotics under the law.
The majority in the meeting agreed that cannabis has medical and research benefits but opposed its recreational use. A minority expressed concern that overly stringent controls could cause public hardship.
The draft announcement adds cannabis and hemp, specifically flowers and extracts with THC content above 0.2%, to the list of narcotics, excluding branches, stems, roots, leaves, and seeds.
Dr. Surachoke stated that the meeting’s results would be submitted to the Minister of Public Health Somsak Thepsuthin and then to the Narcotics Control Board next week. Following the process, the ministry aims to enforce the regulation by January 1st, 2025.
On the same day, the “Shaping the Future of Thai Cannabis” network, led by Mr. Prasitchai Nunual, informed the public and cannabis networks nationwide of their actions. They anticipated this outcome as the first step to reclassify cannabis as an illegal narcotic, following a timeline set by the Minister of Public Health.
“We have no other way to return cannabis to the people except to change the policy. The reclassification of cannabis as a narcotic is driven solely by the orders of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to Minister Somsak Thepsuthin, not by any law, not for health or science-based reasons, for the benefit of their alleged specific capitalists, not the public,” said Prasitchai.
“July 8th is crucial for us. Let’s unite for the goal of returning cannabis to the people. Join us in large numbers in front of the Government House to fight for victory,” Prasitchai added.
M.L. Rungkun Kitiyakorn urged cannabis users, business operators, and those who saw the value of cannabis to gather on July 8th to oppose the Narcotics Control Board’s resolution.
“This is our final fight before they present the resolution to the Narcotics Control Board to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic without regulatory laws,” M.L. Rungkun stated.
The network will occupy Ratchadamnoen Avenue on the night of July 7th, from the Army Headquarters to the UN Office, a 200-meter stretch opposite the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium. They plan to stay overnight and march to the Government House on July 8th.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
