BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has banned military personnel from using cannabis and a call has also been made for the drug to be banned in parliament.
Deputy spokesman for the Defence Ministry Col Jittanat Punnothok said Gen Prayut, who also serves as the defence minister, had told all three branches of the armed forces to abide by this order.
The ruling also applies to the police and the Government Public Relations Department in a bid to raise awareness among civilians on the risks involved in cannabis cultivation and consumption.
According to a Bangkok Post report, Col Jittanat said the premier enforced a strict ban on the recreational use of cannabis among servicemen and warned them not to promote such usage on social media.
"All organisations under the Defence Ministry must follow the Public Health Ministry regulations on cannabis use. They are allowed to consume cannabis for medicinal purposes but not for recreational use," said Col Jittanat.
Meanwhile, the Democrat Party called parliament House Speaker Chuan Leekpai to make the parliament a cannabis-free zone as its use may cause fatigue and other health issues.
Democrat Party MP Pisit Leeahtam said on Friday that despite the plant's delisting from the Category 5 narcotics list, parliament should be a cannabis-free zone, similar to Mahidol University and all schools operating under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
Bhumjaithai Party MP Supachai Jaisamut, president of the cannabis and hemp draft bill committee, said there was a need to outline more details on the bill such as the limit on the number of plants allowed to be cultivated.
He said the committee will invite international organisations to vet the draft bill to protect the health and safety of the public.
The Aviation Medicine Association of Thailand (AMAT) and the Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine also issued a statement on Saturday, requiring all pilots and staff working in the aviation industry to refrain from using cannabis as it can impede pilots' performance.
Meanwhile in another development, the Thai Embassy in Japan has warned Thais not to enter Japan in possession of cannabis or related products.
"The Thai Embassy in Tokyo would like to warn Thai people not to bring in cannabis, hemp or products containing these plants into Japan. Violators may face punishment under Japanese law," it said in a message posted on its Facebook page on Friday.
According to the embassy, possession of cannabis and hemp for import and export purposes carried a jail term of up to seven years in Japan, while possession for sale carries up to 10 years jail and a fine of up to three million yen.
The Post report said the Embassy also warned people to beware of receiving illegal items for delivery in Japan.
Last Tuesday, the Thai Embassy in Indonesia similarly posted a warning on its Facebook page, warning Thai tourists not to bring cannabis or its extracts with them when entering the country.
In Indonesia, the fine is up to 1 billion rupiah, five years to life in jail or even the death penalty, depending on the amount of narcotics found.
Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia to decriminalise possession and use of the plant, after it was delisted from the government's Category 5 narcotics list on June 9.
The narcotic is allowed for use at levels of less than 0.2 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the cannabis' psychoactive ingredient, following the Ministry of Public Health's move to gazette it.
However, the government has since imposed more rules such as limiting access to the plant by those under 20 years old, the limit on the number of plants and also bans in universities and schools.
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