Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said on Wednesday a survey of about 100,000 people found most respondents wanted the recriminalisation of cannabis, and he would follow through with that.
Mr Somsak said on Wednesday that the Food and Drug Administration conducted the opinion survey for the Public Health Ministry from June 11-25. There were about 100,000 respondents.
According to the health minister, 80% of the respondents supported the recriminalisation of cannabis.
Mr Somsak said he would proceed with recriminalisation, but the Narcotics Control Board would make the final decision. Then he, as the health minister, would issue a notice accordingly.
"Most operators will not have any problem but those who want to use cannabis for recreation will. The government does not want it used for recreation anyway," Mr Somsak said.
The minister said that the government supported cannabis use for medical, health and economic benefits and relevant regulations would be issued.
Prasitchai Nunual, secretary-general of Writing Thai Cannabis' Future pro-cannabis group, said his group would express their opposition to the policy at the Public Health Ministry on Friday.
The Bhumjaithai Party, now part of this coalition government, successfully pushed for the decriminalisation of cannabis in June 2022 during the previous government. That led to mushrooming cannabis shops along streets and concerns from medical authorities about the negative impact, especially on young people. The Medical Council warned cannabis had long-term negative impacts on brain growth and development in children.
Last month Mr Somsak said that cannabis use among young adults had increased 10-fold in the two years since it was decriminalised.
Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul was health minister in 2022 and is now interior minister and a deputy prime minister and chairs the Narcotics Control Board.
