80% Of Surveyed Thai Citizens Support Cannabis Recriminalization, Government Poll Shows

A majority of Thai people support the government's recently announced plan to recriminialize cannabis, a new government survey revealed.

According to Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin, and as reported by Time, at least 80% of the 111,201 survey participants favor a draft plan to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic starting Jan.1, 2025. The news comes on the heels of Thailand's government unveiling a draft legislation proposing to re-list cannabis as a "category five" narcotic.

The Thai Food and Drug Administration gathered public feedback on the draft regulation between June 11 and 25.

In May, Thavisin first announced the intention to re-criminalize cannabis by the end of 2024, reversing a 2022 decision to decriminalize the plant, which made Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to do so. Since then, cannabis stores have proliferated in Thailand, due to a lack of proper regulation.

Why The Reversal?

Pressure to reverse the cannabis law was highlighted in February after a Coldplay concert where attendees complained on social media that “the entire concert smelled like marijuana.”

Then, Thailand’s Health Ministry recently revealed that a close to six-fold jump in medical marijuana expenses is another reason it wants to recriminalize cannabis use.

In addition, Thavisin said in May that a study by the Center of Addiction Studies from Chulalongkorn University revealed that weed use among young adults has grown 10 times since legalization, reported the Bangkok Post. Health Minister also referred to studies have shown marijuana affects the brain and can reduce a person's IQ by eight to nine points.

The government needs to analyze the public feedback before sending the draft regulation to the Narcotics Control Board, for approval.

Various cannabis advocacy groups and businesses have expressed their opposition, staging rallies against the proposed reversal.

See More: Hundreds Of Cannabis Advocates Rallied In Bangkok Protesting Government’s Marijuana Policy U-Turn

Thepsutin, however, believes that business operators are fine with the proposed changes, and that just "it's those wanting recreational use that have a problem."

See Also: Thailand’s Cannabis Industry Faces Potential Recriminalization Plan: $274M At Stake, Trade Group Says

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Antoine via Shutterstock