Cannabis backers start hunger strike as legal change looms

Specialists claim that the January 1 deadline for relisting as a opiate will provide those affected time to adjust and use for permits.

Cannabis backers start hunger strike as legal change looms
As hemp advocates rally the administration’s plan to relist the flower as a narcotic on Wednesday outside Government House, police watch as they protest. They have pledged to remain there until a law regulating the plant’s usage is passed. ( Photo: Chanat Katanyu )

On Wednesday, pro-cannabis activists launched a hunger strike to demand that the government take their opinions after the Office of the Narcotics Control Board ( ONCB) declared that parts of the plant would be relisted as a narcotic on January 1.

Mana Siriphitthayawat, assistant secretary-general of the table, said on Wednesday that it would definitely regard the recriminalisation of hemp late this month. The minister of public wellness may proceed to publish the plan in the Royal Gazette on January 1, 2025, if it were approved.

Operators who were unsure of their lawful standing had a few months to adjust and apply for new licenses after the day, he said.

The hands, import, and purchase of cannabis plants and resin will not be permitted under the law, according to Mr. Mana, unless a person obtains a permit from the Ministry of Public Health.

Cannabis seeds as well as parts with low tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ) content such as bark, leaves, roots, fibre and stems will not be recriminalised.

” Cannabis can only be used for health reasons after it has been reclassified as a narcotic and its use must be authorized. The ONCB did arrest those who use it for recreation”, Mr Mana said.

Under a new governmental regulation that only permits sales for health purposes, cannabis shops may fulfill requirements for licenses.

The Bhumjathai Party’s director, Boonthida Somchai, claimed hemp was no longer illegal and that investors had invested tens of billions of ringgit in related businesses.

According to her,” The Bhumjaithai Party proposed a hemp control bill, which should be better than this abrupt change, which may erode investor confidence,” in line with remarks made on Tuesday by party chief Anutin Charnvirakul.

In the meantime, writing Thai Cannabis ‘ Future, an activist group, announced on Wednesday that they would hold a poverty strike until the state agrees to hold trials to examine the benefits of marijuana.

On Monday, the party staged a sit-in show at Government House to protest cannabis ‘ re-criminalization.

In an effort to persuade the government to take appropriate information into account before making an informed decision regarding the future of cannabis, team officials Prasitchai Nunual and Akaradet Chakchinda announced that they were going to escalate their opposition with a thirst hit.

They claimed that cannabis was a medicine for society, and that some individuals and businesses may soon become the owners of the cannabis industry.

Without using the Narcotics Act, they claimed that a general laws would be used to control hemp.

In the upcoming vote, the Bhumjaithai Party’s main scheme was to remove marijuana from the drug list, and Mr. Anutin made this happen by taking the position of public health minister.

Outdoor use increased dramatically in the resulting regulation vacuum, and thousands of pot shops started up all over the country. When it was in the past government, Bhumjaithai attempted to pass a cannabis act, but moment ran out next year.

When the current coalition government was established, Mr. Anutin was appointed interior minister, and Pheu Thai Party leader Somsak Thepsutin received the heath responsibility. He is now in charge of reverse policy.

The Medical Council of Thailand issued a warning about using cannabis in food or snacks soon after decriminalizing it in June 2022, claiming that it would unduly put an extra strain on medical emergency services.