BangkokPost-July 27
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has refused to back down from the move to decriminalize cannabis despite mounting calls for the policy to be immediately suspended. Mr Anutin, who also serves as a deputy prime minister, said on Tuesday that a House committee scrutinizing the bill on cannabis and hemp is expected to finish work on the bill by the end of next month before presenting it for approval by parliament and royal endorsement. Mr Anutin said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has promised to push the bill through during the current parliamentary session. “We cannot step back and make cannabis an illegal drug again. The plant is useful as a form of medical treatment and will benefit the economy. We have come too far [to turn back now],” said Mr Anutin, who also leads the Bhumjaithai Party. He tried to allay the concerns of those calling for the policy’s suspension, saying regulations are in place to control the use of cannabis and that its abuse by children is also illegal. Pushing through the decriminalization of cannabis was among Bhumjaithai’s flagship policies ahead of the 2019 election. Over 850 doctors and staff at Ramathibodi Hospital are calling to reverse the decision, pending the implementation of adequate controls to prevent the abuse of cannabis by youths. This latest salvo was announced by the president of the Forensic Physicians Association of Thailand, Smith Srisont, in a Facebook post on Monday. Dr Smith said 851 doctors, lecturers as well as alumni of Ramathibodi Hospital under Mahidol University are calling for the policy’s immediate suspension because decriminalization without adequate controls to prevent cannabis use outside of medicinal purposes could have a negative impact on young people’s physical and mental development. Read more at: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2354736/pot-policy-wont-be-axed
