Ganja network warns of protests if govt criminalises cannabis
A network advocating legal use of ganja on Thursday threatened to hold a mass rally next month if the government goes ahead with revoking the decriminalisation of cannabis by the previous administration.
The network that calls itself Writing Thailand’s Cannabis Future said its representatives would seek confirmation from newly appointed Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin on whether the government plans to relist marijuana as a banned drug.
Prasitchai Nunual, secretary-general of the network, said his group’s representatives would seek a meeting with Somsak next week to seek clarification on the issue.
Prasitchai was reacting to a statement by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. On Wednesday, Srettha wrote on his X account that he wanted the Public Health Ministry to issue a regulation allowing only medical use of cannabis and that the plant would be listed as a narcotic by the end of 2024.
In 2022, cannabis was removed from the National Category 5 Drug List on a directive from the Public Health Ministry under the previous government. Then public health minister Anutin Charnviraul had promised during the 2019 election campaign to decriminalise marijuana so that it could be used for medical purposes and businesses freely.
Prasitchai said if the current government affirms it would recriminalise marijuana, his group would hold a mass rally at Government House on June 9, which would mark the second anniversary of the decriminalisation of marijuana.
Prasitchai said his network had always demanded scientific proof from the Public Health Ministry that marijuana was more hazardous to health than alcohol and tobacco.
He said if the ministry could offer such a scientific proof, his network would accept the decriminalisation of cannabis.
He said opponents of marijuana have been spreading untrue information that the use of marijuana caused hallucination and prompted users to harm others.
He said cases of hallucination were definitely caused by using it with other drugs. He revealed that many of his network members had been using marijuana for years without any incident of hallucination.
Prasitchai also alleged that the ruling Pheu Thai Party wanted to relist marijuana as a drug so that it would be controlled by a special law.
He alleged that many Pheu Thai politicians had ganja businesses, and with a special law general members could not plant or do ganja business while big businesses would have a monopoly.
