Most Thais support the plans to relist marijuana as an illegal drug but have mixed opinions over its benefits, according to an opinion survey by Nida Poll.
The poll was conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration on May 14-15 on 1,310 people aged 15 and over of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country to gauge their opinions on whether they view cannabis as a narcotic. The answers varied as follows:
53.74% said cannabis is an illicit narcotic but admitted it has medical benefits
33.59% a narcotic and has no benefits at all
11.60% not an illegal drug
1.07% not sure
Asked what they think about the government's plans to relist marijuana as an illegal narcotic, the answers were as follows:
60.38% absolutely agreed
15.27% moderately agreed
14.50% absolutely disagreed
8.93% moderately disagreed
0.92% did not know or were not interested
Asked to give their opinions on the government's cannabis policy, the answers were as follows:
74.58% thought the policy is for medical purposes and treatment of illness and disease
19.39% said the government should not have issued any policy that supports cannabis and cannabis-related products
10.53% said the policy is to support the legal development of cannabis products
7.40% viewed the policy as a way to help increase people's incomes
3.21% said the policy is to support recreational use
0.99% did not know or were not interested.