National —
On July 8th, 2024, Mr. Prasitchai Nunual, the Secretary-General of Shaping the Future of Thai Cannabis, led over 300 cannabis supporters in a march to the Government House.
They submitted a petition urging the Thai government to establish a joint committee to scientifically study cannabis use. Thai Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office Mongkolchai Somudorn, received the petition, urging the protesters to remain peaceful. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is expected to respond to the petition today (July 9th).
Prasitchai argued that the government wants to regulate cannabis under narcotics laws, which the network opposes. They advocate for cannabis-specific laws that would cover everything from seed to export, including consumer protection.
The network proposed four key points for scientific investigation: the physical impact of cannabis compared to tobacco and alcohol, its societal impact over the past two years since its first legalization, its medicinal efficacy, and whether it causes psychiatric issues or damages children’s brains.
If proven harmful, they agree to narcotic regulation, but if not, they insist on cannabis-specific laws.
Prasitchai accused Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin of spreading false information about cannabis-related psychiatric costs of 17 billion baht in the past two years and emphasized discrepancies in hospital data to support his claim. He also highlighted past efforts to remove cannabis from narcotics classification, thwarted by conflicting government interests.
Prasitchai criticized the involvement of nearly 100 businesspeople in meetings meant to resolve public-government conflicts, suggesting alleged business motives behind the push for stricter cannabis regulation for particular individuals.
“If the government does not accept these international principles, it shows their monopolistic intentions. If Srettha remains stubborn, we will continue our sit-in until the government accepts our proposals,” Prasitchai concluded.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
