National —
A group of Thai youths on Monday, June 26th, proposed 9 proposals to the Pheu Thai Party in a bid to combat drug problems across the country.
A group of young Thai people visited the Pheu Thai Party’s headquarters on Monday to submit their petition regarding the country’s raging drug issues.
Today, June 26th, is the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking or World Drug Day.
Accepting the petition on behalf of the Pheu Thai Party were Mr. Julapan Amornwiwat, an MP for Chiang Mai province, and Ms. Linthiporn Warinwatchararoj, a party-list MP and deputy secretary-general of the party.
The petitioners said they want to see Pheu Thai urgently follow their 9 proposals which roughly include:
- Change the laws to allow the use of seized assets from drug trafficking to build educational spaces for combating drug addiction.
- Reform the education system and curriculum both inside and outside classrooms to provide youth with up-to-date knowledge against drugs.
- The Office of the Public Sector Development Commission, under the Ministry of Justice, should serve as a listening unit, collecting public opinions and feedback, while also being a central hub for gathering knowledge to address drug addiction issues.
- Consider the reclassification of marijuana as a controlled narcotic substance with necessary measures to prevent its misuse, which would essentially recriminalize the plant.
In response to the petition, Mr. Julapan said drug problems had started to worsen after the the 2014 coup where the Pheu Thai government was overthrown by the now caretaker PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
He added, “Things were even worse after Prayut’s government decided to decriminalize marijuana without having necessary preventive measures.”
The Pheu Thai Party as the second largest coalition partner are committed to eradicating illicit drugs, and believed that marijuana should be reclassified as a controlled substance, which should be used for medical purposes only, he said.
“As part of the collaboration between the Move Forward Party and the Pheu Thai Party, we have proposed the establishment of a task force specifically focused on drug prevention. Today’s proposals will be presented to the task force for further consideration,” Julapan promised.
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