The deliberation of the bill on cannabis and hemp control, currently stalled in parliament, is expected to resume in November, according to Bhumjaithai Party MP Supachai Jaisamut, who chairs the House panel vetting cannabis- and hemp-related laws.
The bill was rejected by parliament after the Democrat and Pheu Thai parties argued the legislation failed to adequately protect the public from the plants’ potentially harmful effects.
Since their concerns have been acknowledged and addressed in the revised version of the bill, the scrutiny committee yesterday asked the House speaker to include the bill in the House’s agenda for deliberation and implementation, he said.
As such, the House is expected to begin deliberations on the bill when the new parliamentary session starts in November, Mr Supachai said.
Aside from comments made by the two political parties, concerns expressed directly by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) to the scrutiny committee have also been incorporated into the bill, which now has 95 sections, up from 45 sections previously, the scrutiny committee chair said.
As such, the bill won’t go against the three international conventions Thailand signed in 1961, as the committee has already ensured the draft legislation is completely in line with all these important international agreements, he said.
“As for concerns about protecting our youths from abusing cannabis in particular, note that we have already adopted similar mechanisms to control tobacco, alcohol and kratom,” Mr Supachai said.
The cannabis and hemp control bill is meant to protect the public from the possible adverse impact of the government’s legalisation of said plants for medical and research purposes — which includes the abuse of cannabis.