Marijuana advocates rally in Thailand to keep the drug decriminalized

As opponents of cannabis decriminalization met with officials to demand that the herb be made illegal again, marijuana supporters protested.

Wearing T-shirts promoting marijuana and distributing samples, about 200 supporters of liberalizing marijuana regulations in Thailand rallied on Tuesday, November 22, at the government headquarters in Bangkok.

They protested against a possible rollback of the recent decriminalization of the drug.

Medical marijuana was made legal in June, but the lack of a special law specifying the conditions for its cultivation and sale has allowed the development of a recreational marijuana industry.

Protesters do not want rules that would reinstate strict restrictions on the drug.

The sale and use of marijuana, commonly referred to as cannabis in Thailand, was effectively decriminalized when the Ministry of Public Health removed it from its list of "narcotic" drugs.

This decision was one of the main policies of Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvikul, who saw enormous economic potential in the medical marijuana market.

It could particularly benefit farmers, who make up a large part of Anutin's Bhumjai Thai party's constituency. But no special regulatory legislation has been passed so far.

Cannabis shops have sprung up in many areas of Bangkok, along with mobile dispensaries and street stalls, although police have warned that consumption will only be permitted in private, and sales will not be permitted to young people or near schools.

The over-the-counter sale has upset many conservatives, who have called for marijuana—or at least the psychoactive parts of the plant used to get high—to be reinstated as a narcotic.

Tuesday's rally brought together cannabis growers and store owners who stand to lose financially, as well as smokers who want to enjoy marijuana without harassment.

They gathered near Government House, as the National Narcotics Control Board was meeting there to review the situation.

See: Discussion on the possibility of making cannabis illegal again in Thailand

"We want to make sure that these politicians don't try to put cannabis back on the narcotics list.

"If that happens, our years of struggle will be meaningless," Akradej Chakjinda, coordinator of Cannakin, a network of supporters of cannabis decriminalization, told The Associated Press.

A cannabis bill to implement Anutin's decriminalization policy is due to be presented to parliament on Wednesday, but a vote could take several weeks.

It may not pass because opposition parties, joined by the Democratic Party, a member of the governing coalition, argue that cannabis should be strictly controlled as a narcotic until a law with adequate regulations is in place.

Earlier this month, in an effort to ease pressure to roll back deregulation, the Department of Public Health announced a new ministerial rule aimed at more strictly controlling the promotion and sale of marijuana buds.

However, it has not yet come into force.

See: Future of cannabis sellers in the hot seat in Thailand

Separately, the administrative court on Monday accepted a lawsuit filed by a doctor and opposition lawmakers seeking to overturn the ministry's decriminalization of marijuana.

Anutin and the Narcotics Control Bureau are co-defendants.

Nutthawut Buaprathum, co-plaintiff, said it was better to put marijuana back on the narcotics list until the appropriate laws are in place.

He is a member of the opposition Move Forward party, which initially supported decriminalization.

"We know that marijuana has many benefits, so we gave our full support to its decriminalization.

But we did not expect the cannabis law to take so long and have many negative impacts on society due to the lack of proper laws and regulations,” Nutthawut said.

Source: AP News