Bhumjaithai (BJT) leader Anutin Charnvirakul admitted to having personally spoken to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin about the party's concerns over the Ministry of Public Health's plan to re-list cannabis as a narcotic.
Mr Anutin said he had told Mr Srettha the proposal -- which has been forwarded to the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) for further deliberation on July 23 -- lacks convincing proof which justifies the re-criminalisation of the plant.
As such, he urged the prime minister to carry out more studies into the issue before relisting cannabis as a narcotic.
Speaking to the press on Thursday, Mr Anutin said he was puzzled by the government's U-turn on the issue, noting the committee which is pushing for cannabis to be relisted as a narcotic is made up of the same people who wanted cannabis to be decriminalised two years ago.
He called on the committee members to stick to their principles and explain to Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin why cannabis deserves to be taken off the narcotics list.
The Bhumjaithai leader, who is also a deputy prime minister, added that he also told Mr Srettha that ministries and organisations under his party's control reserve the right to vote against the push when the NCB convenes to discuss the matter.
He claimed Mr Srettha said he was open to further discussions on the matter and listening to Bhumjaithai's concerns about the cannabis relisting proposal.
Mr Anutin also stressed that Bhumjaithai's objection should not be perceived as a rift between the party and Pheu Thai, saying he was optimistic that these differences in opinions could still be mended through dialogue.
Weed opponents gather
In another development, Youth Network Against Cannabis (YNAC) and several other health advocacy groups gathered on Thursday at the NCB's headquarters to submit a petition urging the board to relist the plant as a narcotic.
The petition was co-signed by 200,000 people who are opposed to the decriminalisation of the plant, said Dr Smith Srisont, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Mahidol University at Ramathibodi Hospital, who joined Thursday's gathering at the NCB's office.
Citing study findings made public by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the doctor said, cannabis use is found to be associated with the heightened risk of addiction and psychological problems.
Meanwhile, activists who are opposed to the push to relist cannabis as a narcotic are planning to gather at Government House on Friday to submit their petition to the government, urging them to reconsider the push.
The group is led by Parnthep Pourpongpan, dean of the College of Oriental Medicine at Rangsit University; Prof Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, an adviser to the same college; and Rosana Tositrakul, a former senator.