The Move Forward Party, the Pheu Thai Party, and the Prachachart Party are three alliance parties that have been urged by the Thai cannabis advocacy group Cannabis Future Network to forgo the reclassification of marijuana as a narcotic. The network claimed that such a move would be futile and could cause more issues, citing studies done by the Ad-Hoc Committee on Systematic Hemp and Cannabis Resolution.
Cannabis Future Network Leader Prasitchai Nunual expressed worry over the matter and stated that an ad-hoc committee was formed before the election to look into the possibility of removing cannabis from the list of illegal drugs and to research the systematic use of the plant. He mentioned that the committee was made up of both professionals and people from various political parties, all of whom had signed a working agenda on May 22.
Prasitchai found it incongruous that the parties wanted to change their attitudes about cannabis, including restoring its narcotic status. He argued that changing the agenda was driven more by the parties’ self-interest than by the benefit of the country and that it was also not supported by the available data.
While admitting the parties’ right to reevaluate their stances in light of the committee’s earlier research, Prasitchai highlighted that such choices should be based on the committee’s conclusions rather than on the general public or individual political benefits. Furthermore, he issued a warning that changing cannabis regulations merely on the basis of popular opinion can have unexpected repercussions.
