Thai cannabis advocates protest proposal to ban widespread marijuana use again

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BANGKOK (AP) — Two years after Thailand legalized marijuana, nearly a hundred marijuana supporters marched to the prime minister’s office Monday to protest a possible ban on widespread marijuana use.

The Health Ministry’s Drug Control Committee on Friday approved a proposal to reclassify marijuana as a narcotic, allowing its use only for medical and research purposes. The proposal will be submitted to the Office of the Narcotics Control Bureau this week and, if approved, will take effect on January 1.

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Marijuana activists and entrepreneurs gathered at the United Nations headquarters in central Bangkok on Monday, some carrying potted marijuana plants, as they prepared to march to government buildings nearly 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) away.

Prasitchai Nunuan, a representative of the Pro-Marijuana Personal Network, addressed the protesters, saying that marijuana should be regulated solely by the Ministry of Health instead of making it illegal again. He accused the government of making marijuana illegal to allow only a few interest groups to benefit from its medical use.

“This fight for cannabis is not just about medical safety or people’s rights, it’s about breaking the monopoly of politicians who are taking away the benefits of the people,” he said.

Bangkok marijuana shop owner and activist Chokwan “Kitty” Chopaka also accused the current Thai cabinet of allowing politics to manipulate the decision and called on officials to formulate policies that benefit the majority.

“Who are you to judge what they do with it and how they use it?” she added.

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Police blocked the road leading to the government building, effectively stopping the protesters from advancing. The protesters then set up a camp in the area and announced that they would remain there until the government responded to their demands. An officer later received a written petition from the group.

In May, Prime Minister Sreeta Tawisin said he wanted to outlaw marijuana again, sparking protests from several supporters who claimed the decision would hurt the economy. Legalization has boosted Thailand’s tourism and agriculture industries and spawned thousands of marijuana retailers across the country, including shops, trucks and market stalls.

Pock Pechthong, a marijuana grower who attended Monday’s march, said while more regulation is needed, complete deregulation would hurt a lot of people who have invested in the industry.

“Everybody has already spent a lot of money. I’m a grower so our main concern is not being able to grow it or use it,” he said.

When marijuana is legalized in 2022, it was initially stated that it would only be allowed for medical use, but in reality, the market was barely regulated, sparking strong public opposition and concerns about abuse and crime, which the government cited as the reason for the proposal.

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Last month, Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said the ministry conducted an online survey in which at least 80 percent of 111,201 participants supported the ban. However, the results of the survey have not been made public.

The Bhumjaithai Party, led by Anutin Charnvirakul, was the first to legalize marijuana in Thailand, promising farmers in the then-poverty-stricken northeastern region that it would become a new cash crop.

Anutin, who served as health minister in 2022, pushed for a revision of the Narcotics Act to remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances. Anutin, the current interior minister and party leader, publicly opposed the proposed ban, saying that although the Thai People’s Party does not support recreational use of marijuana, revoking the ban will affect the marijuana industry.

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Associated Press reporter Jintamas Saksornchai contributed to this report.

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