Anutin open to more relaxed weed laws

A worker at a processing facility of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization in Pathum Thani. Photo by Varuth Hirunyatheb
A worker at a processing facility of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization in Pathum Thani. Photo by Varuth Hirunyatheb

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday said that further relaxation of cannabis for recreational use is possible in the future if the public accepted it.

Anutin said that legalisation of the recreational use of cannabis in the future could be done if people agree that cannabis use is not harmful.

Mr Anutin insisted the government's medical cannabis legalisation has not been harmful to society since the plant was taken off the country's narcotics list in June.

The Ministry of Public Health has reported only 60 hospital admission cases with severe conditions caused by improper cannabis use from June 6-Aug 16, or one case per day on average, which means nothing among a population of 70 million people, Mr Anutin said.

"I would say some negative cases appeared on the news that are very dramatic -- such as cannabis use in schools or cannabis smells in public places. We have a law to control it under the public health law and the authorities have full right to take legal action against culprits," he said.

Mr Anutin said the exaggerated fear and concern over the negative impacts of cannabis legalisation has been pushed by some groups.

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Vocabulary

  • admission: the act of accepting somebody into a hospital for medical treatment - การรับผู้ป่วยไว้ในโรงพยาบาล
  • culprit: someone who has done something wrong - ผู้กระทำความผิด
  • dramatic: exciting and impressive - ตื่นเต้นเร้าใจ
  • exaggerated (adj): (adj) described in a way that makes someone/something seem better, worse, larger, more important etc than it really is - เกินจริง
  • harmful: causing damage or injury to somebody/something, especially to a person's health or to the environment - เป็นอันตราย,เป็นภัย
  • improper: not suited or appropriate to the situation - ไม่เหมาะสม ไม่สมควร
  • insist: to keep saying very firmly that something is true - ยืนกราน ยืนยัน
  • legalisation (noun): the fact of making something legal - นิติกรณ์
  • narcotics: illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine or crystal methamphetamine - ยาเสพย์ติด
  • recreational: involving enjoyment - เกี่ยวการสันทนาการ
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