March Across Thailand: 50,000 Signatures Sought to Keep Cannabis off the Narcotics List

[webfact]

 

The Future Cannabis Network is marching across Thailand in a campaign to gather 50,000 signatures opposing the reclassification of cannabis as a narcotic, confident that the new government will listen.

 

Reporters stationed at K CANNABIS Stonre, the headquarters of the Khon Kaen Cannabis Association, learned that Prasit Nunuan, Secretary-General of the Future Cannabis Network, has revealed the Network's mission, reported INN.

 

Amid current legislative changes surrounding the public Cannabis Act – which was initially proposed to the progressive party, before being stalled in committee – the group seeks to ensure that cannabis will not revert to its status as a controlled substance.

 

The party rationalized this move, asserting that controlled substance status could better regulate cannabis use.

 

"Cannabis must be systemically controlled, from seeds to cultivation, processing, and protecting minors. It needs specific laws, a standalone Act,"

 

Nunuan said. He voiced concerns that reclassifying cannabis as a narcotic could lead to a lack of access to medicinal cannabis, stall cannabis-related research and development, and impede its import/export and processing due to stringent narcotics laws.

 

He further argued that reclassifying cannabis could impact both civil liberties and pharmaceutical stability, especially in rural areas where cannabis has long been used as medicine.

 

He highlighted that political misinformation had misled many Thai people, causing them to view smoking cannabis as the primary use of the plant, even though it has been used medicinally to treat impoverished patients and those with incurable diseases.

 

His travels across multiple provinces revealed that Isaan, in particular, heavily utilizes cannabis for medicinal purposes. He claims that reverting cannabis to a narcotic would infringe on basic rights.

 

Various global studies conclude that cannabis can treat several diseases, and it is used medically in over 70 countries.

 

While awaiting the new government, the Future Cannabis Network will continue to travel across Thailand, spreading knowledge about cannabis uses and products, and encouraging local discussions.

 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2023-06-19

 

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[WHansen]

It needs to be reclassified, it is out of control. What most smokers fail to realise is they are a small minority and weed is only tolerated and not accepted in countries where it is legal.

His arguments for weed not to be reclassified is stretching the truth massively.

And before i get slated.....i am a daily smoker of nearly 40 years and have spent a great deal of time in the Netherlands where as mentioned, although legal, is only tolerated.

Edited June 19, 2023 by WHansen

[h90]

13 minutes ago, WHansen said:

It needs to be reclassified, it is out of control. What most smokers fail to realise is they are a small minority and weed is only tolerated and not accepted in countries where it is legal.

His arguments for weed not to be reclassified is stretching the truth massively.

And before i get slated.....i am a daily smoker of nearly 40 years and have spent a great deal of time in the Netherlands where as mentioned, although legal, is only tolerated.

What is out of control? And why is control needed. There are no Cannabis dealer that force it down our throats. There are no Cannabis overdose deaths on the sidewalk.

Who, like me, does not like Cannabis should simply not buy it, not use it. No law is needed to help me not buying it. And it is far less addictive than alcohol or cigarettes so no excuse for a law there.
Yes...only tolerate it, ban advertising for it, ban public smoking of it, and of course ban driving car intoxicated with it.  Everything else is not the countries business

[DLock]

50,000 signatures?

 

Aim higher kid.

Edited June 19, 2023 by DLock

[Blumpie]

Anything for a news story as long as it detracts from the real issues.  

It's amazing how people permit the powers that be to pull the wool over their eyes.  

[Jingthing]

Do the signatures need to be legible? Asking for a friend?

Reclassifying as a narcotic which weed is NOT would be insane.

Just regulate more consistently, don't sell to underage, force taxation, and ban public smoking. 

The glut of weed shops in certain areas will sort itself out with market forces.

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, WHansen said:

It needs to be reclassified, it is out of control. What most smokers fail to realise is they are a small minority and weed is only tolerated and not accepted in countries where it is legal.

His arguments for weed not to be reclassified is stretching the truth massively.

And before i get slated.....i am a daily smoker of nearly 40 years and have spent a great deal of time in the Netherlands where as mentioned, although legal, is only tolerated.

Holland, Schmolland and those canals that drunken hooligans piss in.

Look to the new world. 
COLORADO is a better model. 

 

A decade after legalizing cannabis in Colorado, here’s what we’ve learned | CU Boulder Today | University of Colorado Boulder

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, Blumpie said:

Anything for a news story as long as it detracts from the real issues.  

It's amazing how people permit the powers that be to pull the wool over their eyes.  

It's a real issue.

Legal weed is the livelihood of a growing number of Thai people.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The Future Cannabis Network is marching across Thailand in a campaign to gather 50,000 signatures opposing the reclassification of cannabis as a narcotic, confident that the new government will listen.

Add a couple of naughts you might get some attention.

[Burma Bill]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The Future Cannabis Network is marching across Thailand

Inspecting all the pot-holes on the way??

[SoilSpoil]

5 hours ago, h90 said:

What is out of control? And why is control needed. There are no Cannabis dealer that force it down our throats. There are no Cannabis overdose deaths on the sidewalk.

Who, like me, does not like Cannabis should simply not buy it, not use it. No law is needed to help me not buying it. And it is far less addictive than alcohol or cigarettes so no excuse for a law there.
Yes...only tolerate it, ban advertising for it, ban public smoking of it, and of course ban driving car intoxicated with it.  Everything else is not the countries business

It is out of control, young children can order cake, cookies and THC rich gummies  COD, and will want to try it. Some edibles are so strong that even I can eat only half.  I ordered 100 grams of KTKD 2 months ago for a mere 900 baht, also COD, and the mailman gave it to my 9 year old daughter. Here on Phuket, there are now more coffeshops than schools. Totally out of control.

 

 

[ChaiyaTH]

15 minutes ago, SoilSpoil said:

It is out of control, young children can order cake, cookies and THC rich gummies  COD, and will want to try it. Some edibles are so strong that even I can eat only half.  I ordered 100 grams of KTKD 2 months ago for a mere 900 baht, also COD, and the mailman gave it to my 9 year old daughter. Here on Phuket, there are now more coffeshops than schools. Totally out of control.

 

 

Oh please cry me a river with your BS ghost stories. You could get yabba in the same way as you describe. Or alcohol. Or cigarettes.

 

Thai stick was even just as readily available as it is now it is legal. The only thing that changed is that there are now normal shops, with staff and rent paid, and many types of weed.

 

Most people are just super ignorant, and relatively stupid. Guess that is why they work 40 years too. How can you even mention a mailman in this story, how would he know what you order and why would he be responsible for your daughter opening your package? LOL.

Edited June 19, 2023 by ChaiyaTH

[Oralush]

5 minutes ago, SoilSpoil said:

It is out of control, young children can order cake, cookies and THC rich gummies  COD, and will want to try it. Some edibles are so strong that even I can eat only half.  I ordered 100 grams of KTKD 2 months ago for a mere 900 baht, also COD, and the mailman gave it to my 9 year old daughter. Here on Phuket, there are now more coffeeshops than schools. Totally out of control.

 

 

Simple, do not buy it then or have it delivered somewhere else.

I do agree with everyone in some ways. 

The whole issue of cannabis and the problems people are encountering are due to a lack of regulations. A new bill should be passed to regulate the industry, not kill it. I totally agree with the shops not being allowed within certain distances of schools etc.  Yes, it can be very easy for someone underage to get hold of it, but so can alcohol and cigarettes, which as previously mentioned I believe are much more addictive.

As for edibles; this I agree on. I browsed some edibles not long ago in a shop nearby and was shocked to see cookies which they advertised on the packaging at 100mg. When I asked them about it, they simply replied with a shrug of the shoulders. I went to another and they had something similar. Either they do not know anything about edibles or they simply don't care. This is 1 area which needs to be carefully regulated due to packaging etc. 

 

Get rid of the street sellers and the cowboys - Yes, but don't kill it just because someone doesn't like the smell. I hate tobacco smoke, yet I don't cry about it when I smell it in the street. 

Clear packaging regulations are also needed to limit things like edibles from looking like yummy sweets. 

 

The problem is they don't need to look very far to see how it should be done...

 

My 1st post, wow. Have a great day.

[h90]

23 minutes ago, SoilSpoil said:

It is out of control, young children can order cake, cookies and THC rich gummies  COD, and will want to try it. Some edibles are so strong that even I can eat only half.  I ordered 100 grams of KTKD 2 months ago for a mere 900 baht, also COD, and the mailman gave it to my 9 year old daughter. Here on Phuket, there are now more coffeshops than schools. Totally out of control.

 

 

Yes and? When I was young it was normal to send the 8 year old to buy the cigarettes and beer for the father. No one in the supermarket would have thought anything. And there were almost no problems with kids drinking or smoking.

We can't outsource parenting to the government or the mailman. I guess your 9 year old daughter did not eat it, right? Because you are responsible person who is taking care of your kids.
If some parents don't the kids can buy drugs on the street, hard alcohol etc...we can never make it 100% secure...not even in countries like Saudi Arabia it is 100%.

We need to learn to live with a "dirty" world.

[h90]

1 minute ago, Oralush said:

Simple, do not buy it then or have it delivered somewhere else.

I do agree with everyone in some ways. 

The whole issue of cannabis and the problems people are encountering are due to a lack of regulations. A new bill should be passed to regulate the industry, not kill it. I totally agree with the shops not being allowed within certain distances of schools etc.  Yes, it can be very easy for someone underage to get hold of it, but so can alcohol and cigarettes, which as previously mentioned I believe are much more addictive.

As for edibles; this I agree on. I browsed some edibles not long ago in a shop nearby and was shocked to see cookies which they advertised on the packaging at 100mg. When I asked them about it, they simply replied with a shrug of the shoulders. I went to another and they had something similar. Either they do not know anything about edibles or they simply don't care. This is 1 area which needs to be carefully regulated due to packaging etc. 

 

Get rid of the street sellers and the cowboys - Yes, but don't kill it just because someone doesn't like the smell. I hate tobacco smoke, yet I don't cry about it when I smell it in the street. 

Clear packaging regulations are also needed to limit things like edibles from looking like yummy sweets. 

 

The problem is they don't need to look very far to see how it should be done...

 

My 1st post, wow. Have a great day.

I would be for no laws at all. But a compromise would be no advertising and no delivery service (or delivery in a way that only adults can take it, would be easy....for things like that the delivery guy must make a photo of the ID card).

[LukKrueng]

5 minutes ago, h90 said:

I would be for no laws at all. But a compromise would be no advertising and no delivery service (or delivery in a way that only adults can take it, would be easy....for things like that the delivery guy must make a photo of the ID card).

Sure, as long as the same goes for other legal drugs like alcohol and cigarettes.

The roles laid out at the moment are already good enough and a bit too much.

1. No under 20 -✔️

2. No pregnant\nursing women - I would agree to this if the same rule was for alcohol and cigarettes as well

3. No driving under the influence ✔️

 

What else do you need?

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, LukKrueng said:

Sure, as long as the same goes for other legal drugs like alcohol and cigarettes.

The roles laid out at the moment are already good enough and a bit too much.

1. No under 20 -✔️

2. No pregnant\nursing women - I would agree to this if the same rule was for alcohol and cigarettes as well

3. No driving under the influence ✔️

 

What else do you need?

It seems the anti-weed Reefer Madness brigade for questionable political reasons is going to insist on getting their pound of flesh. The main question at this point is just how far down the onerous rat hole they go.

 

Depressing really. They really did a smart thing being the weed pioneer in Asia. A few tweaks here and there might be in order, but clearly there are forces that want to throw the cannabis baby out with the bong water.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Jingthing

[h90]

14 minutes ago, LukKrueng said:

Sure, as long as the same goes for other legal drugs like alcohol and cigarettes.

The roles laid out at the moment are already good enough and a bit too much.

1. No under 20 -✔️

2. No pregnant\nursing women - I would agree to this if the same rule was for alcohol and cigarettes as well

3. No driving under the influence ✔️

 

What else do you need?

4. no open advertising
Point 2: is really strange: Do women loose mental capacity when they get pregnant so they need a Legal guardian?

But OK I think everyone can live with such rules.

[h90]

11 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It seems the anti-weed Reefer Madness brigade for questionable political reasons is going to insist on getting their pound of flesh. The main question at this point is just how far down the onerous rat hole they go.

 

Depressing really. They really did a smart thing being the weed pioneer in Asia. A few tweaks here and there might be in order, but clearly there are forces that want to throw the cannabis baby out with the bong water.

The only good thing I see is that with the hysteria about weed the Kratom is off the radar.....
Anutin should have legalized Opium as well, than everyone would now hysterical focus on that and weed would be ignored.

[bamnutsak]

1 hour ago, SoilSpoil said:

It is out of control, young children can order cake, cookies and THC rich gummies  COD, and will want to try it. Some edibles are so strong that even I can eat only half.  I ordered 100 grams of KTKD 2 months ago for a mere 900 baht, also COD, and the mailman gave it to my 9 year old daughter. Here on Phuket, there are now more coffeshops than schools. Totally out of control.

 

Edibles are ILLEGAL.

 

On-line sales and advertising are ILLEGAL.

 

Physical shops MUST be licensed. The issuing authority, DTAM I think, needs to bolster their requirements for issuing licenses.

 

These are ENFORCEMENT issues.

 

Why was your 9 YO daughter paying the mailman 900 baht for a COD order? That sounds irresponsible.

 

 

The Cannabis Control Act passed a first reading in Parliament last year (June 2022)

 

 

373 MPs voted in support of the bill, with 7 against. 23 MPs abstained.

 

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-cannabis-and-hemp-bill-sails-through-1st-reading-in-lower-house/

 

 

It got derailed on a second reading in November.

 

 

Cannabis normalization really isn't a top 10 or even top 20 issue. Much, much bigger issues facing Thailand and a new government. Even the anti-Cannabis rhetoric has died down to a whimper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by bamnutsak

[sikishrory]

What support systems are in place for addicts?

[LukKrueng]

10 minutes ago, sikishrory said:

What support systems are in place for addicts?

You can't get physically addicted to cannabis. And if you're talking about mental addictions, well some people get edicted to chocolate and other such "healthy" substances

[Jingthing]

14 minutes ago, sikishrory said:

What support systems are in place for addicts?

Ice cream.

[LukKrueng]

37 minutes ago, h90 said:

4. no open advertising
Point 2: is really strange: Do women loose mental capacity when they get pregnant so they need a Legal guardian?

But OK I think everyone can live with such rules.

The problem with that is for the sellers. Are they supposed to ask every female for a doctor certificate that she's NOT pregnant? Are the supposed to squeeze female customers boobs to make sure they're not breastfeeding?

[bamnutsak]

12 minutes ago, sikishrory said:

What support systems are in place for addicts?

You mean alcohol addiction? Gambling Addiction? Methamphetamine addiction?

 

For Methamphetamine, if caught one one pill there is a diversion program. If two or more the support system is called "prison".

 

 

[sikishrory]

3 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

You mean alcohol addiction? Gambling Addiction? Methamphetamine addiction?

 

For Methamphetamine, if caught one one pill there is a diversion program. If two or more the support system is called "prison".

 

 

No it's a rhetorical question laced with sarcasm

[Enoon]

6 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Holland, Schmolland and those canals that drunken hooligans piss in.

Look to the new world. 
COLORADO is a better model. 

 

A decade after legalizing cannabis in Colorado, here’s what we’ve learned | CU Boulder Today | University of Colorado Boulder

Also published in 2022:

 

"Markets evolve slowly when cannabis is legalized, but it is more than just the opening of dispensaries that gets expanded in some jurisdictions. In jurisdictions with for-profit entities licensed to sell, legalization comes with a robust industry promoting high potency cannabis products, which have been associated with psychosis symptoms. In Colorado, there was a positive association between the number of dispensaries (medical and recreational) and rates of psychosis ED visits across all...."

 

Impact of cannabis legalization on healthcare utilization for psychosis and schizophrenia in Colorado  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955395922001049

 

 

[Blumpie]

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

It's a real issue.

Legal weed is the livelihood of a growing number of Thai people.

Clickbait nonsense.  

Anything for a news story to keep ones focus off the real events.  

[chalawaan]

Their half-baked legal system didn't stop me getting fully baked back when, and it won't stop me in the future. ????

[chalawaan]

49 minutes ago, Enoon said:

Also published in 2022:

 

"Markets evolve slowly when cannabis is legalized, but it is more than just the opening of dispensaries that gets expanded in some jurisdictions. In jurisdictions with for-profit entities licensed to sell, legalization comes with a robust industry promoting high potency cannabis products, which have been associated with psychosis symptoms. In Colorado, there was a positive association between the number of dispensaries (medical and recreational) and rates of psychosis ED visits across all...."

 

Impact of cannabis legalization on healthcare utilization for psychosis and schizophrenia in Colorado  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955395922001049

 

 

Prohibition ending increased alcohol harms too. But it was better than deadly gang warfare in city streets and FBI poison hooch by a country mile! 

Same for all drugs really. There's always a percentile who can't handle their highs.