The moves comes despite rapid growth of a domestic retail sector
for marijuana, with tens of thousands of shops and businesses
springing up in Thailand in the past two years in an industry
projected to be worth up to $1.2 billion by 2025.
"I want the health ministry to amend the rules and re-list
cannabis as a narcotic," Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on
social media platform X.
"The ministry should quickly issue a rule to allow its usage for
health and medical purposes only."
Cannabis was decriminalized for medical use in 2018 and
recreational use in 2022 under a previous government, but
critics say its liberalization was rushed through, causing huge
confusion about rules and regulations.
Srettha's comments followed a meeting with agencies involved in
narcotics suppression, where he vowed to take a tough stand on
illicit drugs and ordered authorities to deliver results and
show "clear progress" in the next 90 days.
"Drugs is a problem that destroys the future of the country,
many young people are addicted. We have to work fast, to
confiscate assets (of drug dealers) and expand treatment," he
said.
He also asked authorities to redefine what constitutes drug
possession under the law, from "small amount" to "one pill", to
to enable tougher enforcement by authorities.
Srettha's government had earlier said it wants to push out a
cannabis law by year-end that would ban recreational marijuana
and allow its use for medical and health purposes only.
It was not immediately clear when cannabis will be re-listed as
a narcotic or what processes must first take place.
Prasitchai Nunual, secretary-general of Thailand's Cannabis
Future Network, said re-criminalizing cannabis would be a bad
move for the economy and deal big blow to small businesses and
consumers.
"Many people have been growing cannabis and opening cannabis
shops. These will have to close down," he told Reuters.
"If scientific results show that cannabis is worse then alcohol
and cigarettes then they can re-list it as a narcotic. If
cannabis is less harmful, they should list cigarettes and
alcohol as narcotics too."
(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing
by Martin Petty)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|