Southern Islamic leaders are planning further action to press for the return of marijuana to the narcotics list after the government turned a deaf ear to their initial call last week.
Sakriya Binsaela, chairman of the Islamic Committee of Songkhla, said all Muslim leaders in the five provinces of Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Satun are considering coordinated action against last month's decriminalisation of cannabis, Thai PBS reported on Monday.
Mr Sakriya said activities would be planned for every Friday in all 300 mosques across the five southernmost provinces, with 25 Islamic organisations taking part. The kickoff date had not been set, he added.
The Islamic leaders on July 18 submitted a protest letter opposing the removal of marijuana from the narcotics list to the provincial halls in the five provinces. The letter was directed to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Public Health Minister Anutin Charvirakul, the house speaker, the senate speaker and lawmakers involved in the issue.
There had still been no response, Mr Sakriya said.
Islamic leaders in the Muslim-dominated region submitted their protest after the Central Islamic Council of Thailand made clear its position on this issue in a statement by the Chularatchamontri and experts on June 15.
The central council said the use of cannabis for recreation, like drinking alcohol, was against Islamic principles. Its use was allowed only for medical purposes, it said.
The leaders in the five southern provinces then began their lobbying of the government to put marijuana back to the narcotics list, to prevent young people using it for recreation.
They have campaigned in all mosques in the five provinces to raise awareness of the danger of cannabis abuse.
"People should avoid consuming anything that does more harm than good," Islami Mad-Adam, chairman of the Khon Chuay Khon, a non-profit organisation, said at a gathering at Ban Kunamrorb mosque in Chana district of Songkhla on Saturday. "Cannabis poses more harm than it does benefits for medical purposes," he said.
Cannabis was lifted from the Type 5 narcotics list on June 9 in a policy push by the Bhumjaithai Party, which controls the Public Health Ministry.
Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said the plant was legalised for medical use, not for recreation. But critics say no law now prevents it being used for recreation.
Bhumjaithai hopes to win more seats in the southern region, once dominated by the Democrat Party, at the coming general election.
