BANGKOK – Two years after the decriminalization of marijuana in Thailand, nearly a hundred of its supporters marched to the prime minister’s office on Monday to protest a possible ban on general consumption.
A Ministry of Health drug control committee on Friday approved a proposal to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic, to be permitted only for medical and research purposes. The proposal is expected to be submitted to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board this week and, if agreed, will take effect on January 1.
Cannabis activists and entrepreneurs, some carrying potted marijuana plants, gathered at the United Nations headquarters in central Bangkok on Monday as they prepared to head to Government House, almost 1 kilometer away (0 .62 miles) away.
Prasitchai Nunuan, a representative of a network of pro-cannabis individuals, addressed the protesters, saying that marijuana should be regulated separately by the Ministry of Health, rather than criminalizing the plant once again. He accused the government of banning the drug to allow only certain interest groups to benefit from its medical uses.
“This fight for cannabis is not just for medical safety or people’s rights, but also to destroy the monopoly of politicians who take (their) benefits from people,” he said.
Chokwan “Kitty” Chopaka, a Bangkok cannabis store owner and activist, also accused the current Thai cabinet of allowing politics to manipulate such a decision and called on authorities to come up with a policy that would benefit the majority of people.
“Who are you to judge what they use it for and how they use it?” she added.
Police barricaded the road leading to Government House, effectively preventing protesters from marching forward. who then set up a camp in the area and announced that they would remain there until the government responded to their demands. Later, an official received the group’s written petition.
In May, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he wanted to ban cannabis again, generating several protests from defenders who claimed that the decision would be harmful to the economy. Legal cannabis fueled Thailand’s tourism and agriculture sectors and generated thousands of retail cannabis sales ranging from stores, trucks to market stalls across the country.
Pock Pechthong, a cannabis producer who joined Monday’s march, said that while more regulations are needed, a radical reversal will hurt many people who have invested in the business.
“Everyone has already spent a lot of money. I’m a producer, so our main concern is not being able to grow it or use it,” she said.
After the decriminalization of cannabis in 2022, it was initially said that it would only be permitted for medicinal use, but in practice the market has remained largely unregulated, sparking public backlash and concerns about misuse and crime, which the government cited as reasons for the proposal.
Last month, Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said the ministry carried out an online survey and that no less than 80% of the 111,201 participants approved the ban. However, the results have not been shared publicly.
The Bhumjaithai Party, led by Anutin Charnvirakul, led the country’s decriminalization of marijuana and promised farmers in its impoverished northeastern stronghold at the time that it would be a new cash crop.
Anutin, who headed the health ministry in 2022, pushed for an amendment to the Narcotic Drugs Law, removing cannabis from the list of controlled substances. Currently Minister of Home Affairs, the party chief publicly opposed the proposed ban, saying that while Bhumjaithai does not support the recreational use of cannabis, the rollback will impact the cannabis industry.
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Associated Press writers Jintamas Saksornchai contributed to this report.
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