Most people in Northeast will plant cannabis – but not smoke it: Poll

The E-Saan Poll surveyed a random sample of 1,105 residents aged 18-plus across all 20 Northeast provinces, from June 17-19.

Asked if they plan to cultivate cannabis in their households, 51.1 per cent of respondents said yes while 46.9 per cent said no.

On whether they would eat foods containing cannabis, 73.2 per cent said yes while 26.8 per cent said no. But when asked whether they would smoke the newly legalised herb, 66.9 per cent said no while 33.1 per cent said they would smoke it, or at least try it.

The survey also asked respondents about cultivating cannabis as a cash crop.

Asked how they foresee the price of cannabis a year from now, 48.1 per cent said it would stay high enough to make cultivation profitable, while 35.2 per cent said it would drop to the level of vegetable prices and profits would be too low. Only 16.6 per cent expected the price of marijuana would support big profits from its cultivation.

Asked whether cultivating cannabis plants would reduce their poverty, 33.3 per cent said yes while 66.7 per cent said no.

On cannabis use by children, 48.6 per cent were worried it would affect their children’s studies, 33.5 per cent were moderately worried, and the rest were a little worried.

Asked whether legalisation would help reduce abuse of narcotics, especially of methamphetamine (“yaba”) and ketamine, 45.8 per cent said no, 24.5 per cent said yes, and the rest expected a surge in narcotics abuse.

More than eight out of 10 (83.3 per cent) supported the ban on cannabis in schools, hospitals, temples and government offices, while 12.5 per cent were opposed and 4.2 per cent had no comment.

Legalisation of cannabis was a campaign policy of the Bhumjaithai Party, a coalition partner in the Prayut government whose power base is in the Northeast.

Asked whether legalisation had boosted Bhumjaithai’s popularity in the Northeast, only 23.1 per cent said yes. Meanwhile 61.5 per cent said no and 15.4 per cent said its popularity had declined.

Asked which party they would vote for if an election was held now, 36 per cent of respondents said Pheu Thai, followed by Move Forward (19.5 per cent), Bhumjaithai (13.7 per cent), Palang Pracharath (13.6 per cent), Thai Sang Thai (11.1 per cent), and the Democrats (2.9 per cent).