Thai Marijuana Advocates Protest Plans to Outlaw Substance Again
In June 2022, Thailand made the decision to decriminalize marijuana, making it the first country in southeast Asia to do so. The campaign to decriminalize the drug was spearheaded by Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party. Anutin, who headed the Ministry of Health in 2022, called for an amendment to be made to the Narcotics Law. This subsequently led to marijuana being eliminated from Thailand’s list of controlled substances. While the drug was intended solely for medicinal use with the law also allowing private recreational use, the market remained unregulated. This allowed recreational use to flourish but increased public concerns…