The “Writing Thailand’s Cannabis Future” cannabis advocacy group has spoken out against the new coalition government’s plan to re-criminalize cannabis.
The group is now holding a demonstration to demand clarity from the coalition led by the Move Forward Party regarding the effects of cannabis, particularly in light of the party’s demonopolization stance for alcohol.
Following the announcement of an MoU on the establishment of a new administration, which was signed by the Move Forward Party (MFP) and other coalition partners, the organization responded. A language in the MoU aims to categorize marijuana as a narcotic, but with guidelines for its legal use.
The group claims in a Facebook post that medicinal marijuana provides an economical alternative to established hospital therapies, especially for those who are financially vulnerable and are not getting improvement from them.
The group is asking the MFP to contrast the negative effects of marijuana with those of alcohol and tobacco. It also stated that it was prepared to back the party’s proposal to re-criminalize cannabis if it turned out to be more damaging than the other two narcotics.
The group also challenges the party to compare the effects of alcohol de-monopolization and cannabis, claiming that the latter would result in more widespread health problems and greater traffic accidents as a result of easier access to alcohol.
Additionally, the group demands that MFP publish truthful information regarding cannabis that is backed up by academic research, reliable statistics, and other data. Despite having stated they may not agree with all of the party’s beliefs and activities, the organization has stated they support the formation of the MFP-led coalition and has committed to educate the public the truth through protests.
