Anutin says he has told Srettha why he opposes relisting marijuana
Minister says he has also pointed out that the very same committee that voted to delist cannabis has now changed its tune
Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Thursday that he had told Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin that he and his party disagree with plans to relist marijuana and hemp as narcotics.
Anutin, leader of Bhumjaithai Party, said he listed the points his party feels uneasy about regarding the Pheu Thai-led Public Health Ministry’s plan to put the two plants back on the Category 5 Narcotics list.
He said he had also told the PM that a lot more information on the drawbacks of decriminalising marijuana and hemp was needed before a decision could be made on whether to relist them as narcotics.
Anutin, who doubles as deputy PM, said he has also warned Srettha that when the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) sits down to consider the issue, he will vote against the plan to relist the plants. He added that Srettha has also been informed that there could be no new or complete information for the NCB to consider before deciding whether to relist the two plants.
Early this month, the Public Health Ministry’s committee on controlling illegal drugs voted to back the plan of reclassifying cannabis and hemp as drugs.
Anutin said that he reminded Srettha that this same committee had voted to remove hemp and cannabis from the drugs list in 2022.
“The members of the panel are the same as those who voted to delist the plants, so they should have had more information to make such a decision,” Anutin added.
He said he had to inform Srettha of all the discrepancies and the reason why he, as leader of Bhumjaithai, disagreed with the government’s stance.
Anutin said Srettha responded to his points by saying the issue had yet to be decided upon at the NCB meeting and both sides would have a chance to present their side of the argument.
“Since the PM has responded like this, I must respect his decision,” Anutin said.
However, he added, these differences will not warrant his party’s departure from the coalition, saying this is not linked to conflicts among coalition partners.
“It’s related to the internal works of the Public Health Ministry,” he said. “But I wonder why the same Public Health committee, with the same permanent secretary as a member, did not inform the new public health minister of the information the panel used to delist marijuana in 2022. Why did it agree to relist the plant again?”
When asked if the push to relist had anything to do with the Pheu Thai Party’s election campaign last year, Anutin said every party had their stance, but they should consider comprehensive information on the pros and cons first.
He said he would not take the issue directly to Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin, because he does not want to cause conflicts with Pheu Thai Party.
While campaigning for votes in the 2019 national election, Bhumjaithai had promised to decriminalise marijuana and hemp, so they could be used in the medical industry and as cash crops.
Meanwhile, in the 2023 elections, Pheu Thai promised to relist marijuana as it did not agree with the previous government’s decision to allow the recreational use of the herb.
