National—
On April 4th, 2024, Mr. Prasitchai Nunual, the secretary-general of the Network for Shaping the Future of Thai Cannabis, publicly stated his concerns over bringing marijuana back into an illicit substance type by the Thai government.
Prasitchai voiced his opinion regarding the change in cannabis policy that criminalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes while being lenient on carrying five pills of amphetamine and amending alcohol control bills.
The network for Shaping the Future of Thai Cannabis previously petitioned the Thai Ministry of Public Health to publicize factual comparisons between marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes, and amphetamines with scientific information on these four categories to determine control measures accordingly, remarked Prasitchai.
However, the Thai government was indifferent to the petition and marked cannabis, medicinal plants, as narcotic substances, and instead lowered restrictions on illicit substances containing chemicals to the public, stated Prasitchai.
It could be said that a group of investors could not keep cannabis production under control, claimed Prasitchai. If comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the uses of cannabis and amphetamine, it was clear that cannabis was the safest as it was grown with care and quality materials whether being used for medical aspects or recreational purposes, according to Prasitchai.
Meanwhile, amphetamines, cigarettes, and alcoholic beverages were contaminated by chemical processes, remarked Prasitchai.
Many incidents blame the use of marijuana on news agencies as it was falsely claimed that it would cause one to be delirious or go insane. However, he had been smoking marijuana for seven years but still thinking just fine, better yet compared to non-marijuana smokers, remarked Prasitchai.
Recently, Germany allowed the use of cannabis for recreational purposes and medical aspects to the public as had Canada and most of the US. Citizens could grow cannabis and use it freely. It could be said that considering the facts, that cannabis being allowed was not at all negative, said Prasitchai.
Lastly, Prasitchai pleaded to Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to deliberate on the factual information and did not waver from the media coverage that unidentified pharmaceutical companies were allegedly hired to make marijuana look bad to the public eye and to lobby for it be banned again. When the citizens gained benefits from using marijuana, pharmaceutical companies would take a massive loss, concluded Prasitchai.
