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Homeopinion


THAILAND’S CANNABIS U-TURN IS A CAUTIONARY TALE

The U-turn is being prompted by some very real concerns, particularly over the
social and health impact on young people.


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Bloomberg Opinion
Last Updated : 16 May 2024, 18:07 IST
Last Updated : 16 May 2024, 18:07 IST

0


By Karishma Vaswani

Turns out you can have too much of a good thing. Last week, Thailand’s Prime
Minister Srettha Thavisin ordered a U-turn on the country’s landmark cannabis
policy, saying the plant should be soon classified as a narcotic again and its
use limited to medical and health purposes. This decision comes two years after
the former premier Prayuth Chan-Ocha’s administration decriminalized the drug in
the aftermath of the pandemic. His aim? To bring tourists back to Thailand, tap
into the multibillion-dollar medical marijuana business, and help struggling
farmers grow a cash crop.

The prime minister’s announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise — the new
government has been weighing its options for a while. The weed experiment hasn’t
gone as planned. Rowing it back won’t be easy, but the kingdom should persevere
and attempt to regulate this sector — even if the consequences are painful.
Ignoring it will affect the nation’s youth and social harmony — ultimately the
industry is only benefiting businesses, not poor farmers.

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Walking through the Thai capital Bangkok’s narrow alleyways recently, it was
impossible to miss the numerous cafes that spilled on to the streets, or the
distinct scent of marijuana wafting through the balmy air. These dispensaries
sprang up seemingly overnight, after the decision to legalize cannabis was made
in 2022. Even then it was controversial — and ever since, competing forces have
been trying to reverse the decision.

Of course, there can be benefits in decriminalizing marijuana — one is less
pressure on courts and prisons. There are major overcrowding issues in Thai
jails, where 75 per cent of inmates are there on drug-related charges. Research
has also shown that taking cannabis off the underground illegal market helps to
drive it out of the illicit drug trade.

Many parts of the US have already been through this evolution. Cities like New
York have now adopted a far more liberal approach to decriminalization, but are
also struggling with the consequences. It is unlikely that Thailand could learn
from its experience. Culturally it is a far more conservative society, and sits
in a region with harsh drug laws around possession and consumption.

Thailand used to have those laws too, but now it is the anomaly in Southeast
Asia. Singapore for instance, imposes the death penalty for trafficking. It
considers cannabis a highly addictive narcotic, has banned its consumption and
runs regular campaigns that seek to show how much damage it has caused in other
countries. At least two people were executed following marijuana charges last
year.

In Indonesia, the death penalty is also used as a deterrent, although until
recently it was rarely enforced. I reported extensively on the harsh drug laws
and outgoing president Joko Widodo administration’s decision to prioritize
cracking down on drugs. It’s a policy that is likely to be continued under the
next leader, Prabowo Subianto.

In contrast, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to allow the
use of marijuana for medical purposes in 2019. Almost 8,000 dispensaries and a
large number of consumer-agro firms have cropped up across the country, selling
everything from cannabis buds and oil extracts to weed-infused candy and baked
goods. Foreigners have also reportedly entered the unregulated market, opening
shops and selling the drug. Under current decriminalization laws, cannabis
products must not contain more than 0.2 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol — the
psychoactive compound that provides a high sensation — to be considered lawful.

Part of the push to legalize the plant was motivated by economics: The
University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said in a 2022 report that the
domestic cannabis industry could be worth $1.2 billion by 2025.

But the U-turn is also being prompted by some very real concerns, particularly
over the social and health impact on young people. Recent research has shows
that a quarter of 18-to-65-year-olds had used cannabis since decriminalization —
up from 2.2 per cent in 2019. Young people are also smoking more weed: 10 times
as much — 9.7 per cent in 2023 from 0.9 per cent in 2019. Anecdotally, doctors
have reported more patients seeking treatment after they’ve fallen ill or tried
to wean themselves off cannabis. If the government does push through with its
plans and classifies cannabis as a category-five drug, its possession could
result in a jail sentence of up to 15 years and a maximum fine of 1.5 million
baht ($40,600).

Banning the drug outright will no doubt cause a lot of pain to farmers, small
business owners, tourists and consumers. A middle-ground approach to return to
medical usage would be wise. Taxing marijuana would also help to boost
government coffers, and weeding out foreigners from the trade would help to
regulate the sector and allow locals to benefit more — which was the original
intent. Thailand has enjoyed the high from the lucrative industry long enough.
It is now time for a managed and rational come down.

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