Ms. Sirikanya Tansakun, the deputy leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP), declared on May 26 that even if the incoming government reclassifies marijuana as a narcotic, registered marijuana farmers and business owners will still be protected legally.
The MFP wants to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic so that law enforcement and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board can work fully to control the misuse of cannabis, a task that has been left unfinished by the caretaker government, Ms. Sirikanya, a prospective MFP minister of commerce, stated at yesterday’s press conference.
According to Ms. Sirikanya, the intention is not to outright outlaw or close down all cannabis companies while also beginning to detain and fine users.
After re-listing the plant through a ministerial regulation of the Ministry of Public Health, the new administration will swiftly pass new laws to regulate its use, production, growing, import, and export while also legally protecting those who are currently licensed registered marijuana growers and business operators like dispensaries.As long as they have registered and have authorization to do so, Ms. Sirikanya insisted that marijuana producers and operators of cannabis businesses will also be protected and given the freedom to conduct their operations as usual. To guarantee that this and law enforcement are on the same page, a suitable notice will be made.
After the coalition partners lead by the MFP stated in the memorandum of agreement that they will re-list cannabis as a narcotic, growing concerns among several groupings of cannabis-related business operators and producers prompted her affirmation. Because a significant portion of the Thai population now uses marijuana for medicinal and admittedly recreational purposes, and because millions of Thais are now growing plants at home, a marijuana retailer in the province of Nonthaburi told Thai media that it would be “challenging” for marijuana to become completely illegal again.
Those who need on marijuana for medical ailments, such as youngsters with epilepsy who need CBD oil, would be significantly impacted if it were once again classified as a restricted substance, according to the business owner. A logistical nightmare may result from trying to penalize or detain millions of Thai people for possessing a modest amount of marijuana.
There was also a great deal of worry that some dishonest police may target international visitors and marijuana users for extortion with high costs and threats of jail time, similar to vaping, if marijuana was relisted as a narcotic. However, Ms. Sirikanya reaffirmed that business owners and marijuana farmers who have officially registered with the government need not worry.
She steered clear of openly addressing the topic of marijuana use for recreational purposes and did not address concerns about the possibility of customers or users being targeted if the plant were classified as a narcotic. She did, however, clarify that the designation as a narcotic was made in order to create a temporary legal framework for regulation, primarily to prevent unlicensed street vendors and smuggling/illegal importing, rather than to crack down on users or close down enterprises.
Reassurances will be required due to the over 12,000 licensed cannabis enterprises, millions of growers and registrations, and tourism attraction. Some companies are still on guard because they believe that even if the plant is reclassified as a narcotic, there may still be a crackdown because it is still technically possible. Chuwit, a well-known anti-cannabis campaigner and former lawmaker, was dissatisfied with the Move Forward Party’s proposal to permit currently licensed businesses to remain operating.
