Will cannabis still be legal in Thailand after the elections?

The two most popular political parties, according to polls, want to challenge Thailand's cannabis legalization law.

Four years after the Bhumjaithai party won nearly four million votes by promising to decriminalize cannabis, the tide has turned.

The majority of parties running in the national elections on Sunday, May 14, want to repeal the law and limit the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

Among the major parties threatening to derail the program is the Pheu Thai Party, which is projected to win the most seats in the new 500-member House of Representatives, according to all pre-election polls.

See: What you need to know about elections in Thailand

According to Pheu Thai, reinstating cannabis as a narcotic, while retaining its medical use, will protect young Thais from recreational use.

Even the Move Forward party, which has called for liberalization in most other sectors, is trying to do the same, arguing that it is vital to go back to the beginning before gradually legalizing widespread cannabis use.

Restaurant serving cannabis-infused dishes in Thailand. Photo: Pattaya Mail

Cannabis has become a controversial issue, dividing political parties and the country's 52.3 million voters, since its decriminalization took effect nearly a year ago.

See: Cannabis is legal in Thailand, but it's complicated: What travelers need to know

Opponents of this policy are concerned about the harmful influence of this drug on society.

However, the legal vacuum that arose when the plant was decriminalized, launching a new industry before lawmakers could pass legislation to control it, has not been without its share of discontent.

Months later, legislation to ban wider use of the drug stalled in parliament, with some politicians complaining it did not go far enough to curb recreational use.

On March 20, the Thai parliament was dissolved to prepare for the elections .

The cannabis industry has flourished with little regulation.

Concerns of cannabis farmers and dealers

According to the University of Thailand Chamber of Commerce, the cannabis industry is expected to be worth $1 billion by 2025, with more than one million farmers cultivating the plant and approximately 4,500 outlets distributing it across all provinces of the country.

Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at a cannabis farm

Far from the politics and controversies of Bangkok, farmers worry about losing an important source of income so soon after receiving it.

For years, millions of farmers have been subjected to unpredictable export prices for important agricultural commodities, ranging from rice to rubber, as well as natural disasters such as drought and floods.

They have come to view cannabis as a more robust lifeline, allowing them to increase their income and improve their lifestyle in just one year.

According to Siwasan Khobjaiklang, 41, head of a network called Sanom, which includes seven farms owned by young farmers in Buri Ram, farmers can earn around 500,000 baht (13,526 euros) for a harvest of cannabis buds from one rai (1,600 m2), compared to around 8,000 baht (216 euros) for rice grown in the same space.

Mr. Siwasan says his ambition is for Thailand to have a cannabis law that regulates the production and sale of marijuana, which would make it easier for farmers to connect with domestic companies and even export the products.

What is at stake here may make the group's electoral choices very simple and all the more important.

"Cannabis is being held politically hostage," Mr. Siwasan said on his farm, where cannabis plants dominate the vegetable gardens.

Marijuana field

"He has only come halfway to the dream, which is difficult to achieve without legal clarity."

Thailand's Bhumjaithai party has "kept its promises" by decriminalizing cannabis, according to Kajkanit Sakdisubha, founder of Taratera, which buys the plant from local growers to sell at its five dispensaries in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

"If the decision is overturned, I think we'll see a lot of people on the streets wondering if they should close shops and farms because another party is in power and has a different opinion."

It is unclear how they will react if Thai legislation, which allows restricted use of cannabis in food and cosmetics, is challenged.

See also:

10 Things Tourists Should Know About Cannabis in Thailand

Future of cannabis sellers in the hot seat in Thailand

Discussion on the possibility of making cannabis illegal again in Thailand

Source: Chiang Rai Times