Thailand Video News: Cannabis Decriminalisation and Psychiatric Patients (short)

Cannabis Decriminalisation and Psychiatric Patients:

Professor Panthep Puapongphan, Dean of the College of Oriental Medicine at Rangsit University, refuted claims linking the decriminalisation of cannabis to a rise in psychiatric patients. He argued that comparing current psychiatric patient numbers to those during the 2021 lockdown is misleading due to the impact of Covid-19 on hospital visits. The NESDC reported similar psychiatric service numbers in 2023 (2.9 million) to pre-Covid 2019 levels (2.8 million), with a decrease in cases related to methamphetamine and other drugs since cannabis decriminalisation. Prof. Panthep emphasized the need for effective regulation over reclassifying cannabis as illegal.