Photo Credit: Varuth Hirunyatheb
A coalition of medical professionals, academics and civil society organisations has urged political parties to clearly state their positions on cannabis policy during the ongoing election period.
The appeal was made during a recent forum reviewing the effects of cannabis use on public health following its removal from the narcotics list in June 2022.
Bundit Sornpaisarn, a staff scientist at the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research in Canada, cited data from the Ministry of Public Health in one major tourism province showing that cannabis use has had a serious impact on public health over the past three years.
According to the data, cases of cannabis poisoning increased by 3.5 times compared with the August 2019 to June 2022 period when cannabis was still classified as a narcotic, rising from an average of 40 cases per month to 115. Mr Bundit added that hospitalisations linked to cannabis use in the province surged from zero to 90 cases within two years of legalisation, with foreigners accounting for about 80% of those patients.
He noted that cannabis has affected tourism, explaining that high-spending tourists tend to avoid areas where the smell of cannabis is widespread, while many low-spending visitors are drawn to Thailand by its relaxed cannabis regulations.
Dr Tappana Sumpatanarax of Vachira Phuket Hospital reported a similar trend in Phuket’s Thalang district, where hospital admissions related to the recreational use of cannabis have risen sevenfold, now surpassing the number of patients treated for amphetamine abuse.
Dr Tappana added that hospital staff are increasingly dealing with aggressive behaviour linked to cannabis consumption. Currently, 10 out of 12 beds for patients with mental health conditions at the hospital are reserved for cannabis-related cases.
Yodsakorn Khunphakdee, coordinator of the Youth Network Against Cannabis, said the government’s cannabis policy has failed to restrict use strictly to medical purposes due to ineffective regulation. He urged the next government to clarify whether cannabis will be designated for medical treatment only or permitted for recreational use, and called for its return to the narcotics list.