Most Thais support the government's plan to relist cannabis as a narcotic and limit its use to medical purposes, according to a survey carried out by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida).
The poll, conducted between May 14 and 15 among 1,310 people aged 15 and over across various levels of education and occupations throughout the country, found about 60% of respondents strongly agreed with the policy, while about 15% said they agreed with the push. By contrast, just 24.4% of respondents said they disagreed with the plan. About 0.9% either did not answer or said they weren't interested in the issue.
When asked if they see cannabis as a narcotic, 53.7% of respondents said "yes", but admitted the plant has medicinal properties. Approximately 33.6% said cannabis is a narcotic plant with no medical benefits, while 11.6% said cannabis is not an illegal drug. About 1% of respondents said they weren't sure.
About 75% of respondents said the use of cannabis should be restricted to medical purposes, while about 19% said the government should not have issued any policy that promotes the use of cannabis or cannabis-related products in the first place.
About 11% said the government should support cannabis and cannabis-related products, while 7.4% said the government should support the development of cannabis as a cash crop. When asked if they ever used cannabis, 69% said "yes" while 31% said "no".