Only 3% of Thais say they will use cannabis for recreation: Poll
An overwhelming majority of Thais say they are not interested in using cannabis for recreational purposes, according to a Super Poll survey published on Sunday.
Cannabis was removed from Thailand's narcotics list on June 9, allowing people to grow the herb for medical and commercial use.
The poll surveyed 2,125 adults across the country from July 13 to 16.
Asked if they were interested in using cannabis for recreation, 96.6 per cent said no, since the herb was legalised for medical use. Only 3.4 per cent said they were interested in recreational use.
Asked for their opinions on cannabis legalisation, 91.1 said the herb was legalised for medical use, 84.6 per cent agreed that measures are needed to deal with people who use cannabis improperly, 83.5 per cent said recreational use is wrong, 65.9 per cent said it was legalised to help people, and 63.7 per cent said people should register to grow cannabis in order to curb imports of the herb.
Asked which source they rely on for information about cannabis, 89.4 per cent said the Public Health Ministry, 85.2 per cent said Thai traditional doctors, 63.8 per cent said local doctors and 61.4 per cent said social media.
Asked for their view on cannabis legalisation, 82.7 per cent agreed with legalisation for medical use as it would benefit people, while 17.3 per cent disagreed, citing a lack of clear measures and information to regulate the use of cannabis.
Asked whether attacks on cannabis legalisation were a ploy by politicians aimed at undermining their rivals, 92.4 per cent said yes, while 7.6 per cent said no.
Super Poll Research Centre director Noppadon Kannika said the poll indicated that most Thais are aware that legalisation aims to give people, especially the poor, access to Thai traditional treatment.
It also showed that Thais are aware of the need for measures to regulate the use of cannabis in medicine and food.
He added that Thais saw attacks on cannabis legalisation as political scheming because they are already aware that legalisation has both benefits and dangers. Instead, the government and opposition should work together to ensure that people can use cannabis for medical purposes safely, he said.