BANGKOK: Thailand's legalisation of cannabis is continuing to draw protest from some quarters who argue that the narcotics could cause more harm than good.
Latest to join those calling for the decriminalisation to be rescinded are Islamic leaders from the five Southern provinces in the country.
Quoting a Thai PBS news report, the Bangkok Post said the leaders claimed the government had ignored their initial call last week and were now planning further action on the matter.
Sakriya Binsaela, chairman of the Islamic Committee of Songkhla, said Muslim leaders in the provinces of Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Satun were considering coordinated action against last month's decriminalisation of cannabis.
He said activities would be planned every Friday in all 300 mosques across the five southernmost provinces, with 25 Islamic organisations taking part. However, no dates have been set.
On July 18, the Islamic leaders had submitted a protest letter opposing the removal of marijuana from the narcotics list to the provincial authorities.
The letter was addressed to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Public Health Minister Anutin Charvirakul, parliament speaker, the senate speaker and lawmakers involved in the issue.
Sakriya said there has been no response to their letter, which was sent after the Central Islamic Council of Thailand made clear its position on this issue .
The central council had said the use of cannabis for recreation, like drinking alcohol, was against Islamic principles. It said cannabis use was allowed only for medical purposes.
The leaders in the five southern provinces have since started lobbying the government to put marijuana back on the narcotics list as this will prevent young people from using it for recreation.
"People should avoid consuming anything that does more harm than good. Cannabis poses more harm than it does benefits for medical purposes," said Islami Mad-Adam, chairman of the Khon Chuay Khon organisation.
Health Minister Anutin had said the plant was legalised for medical use and not for recreation, but critics say there is no law to prevent it from being used for recreational purposes.
Meanwhile, Thai PBS also reports that hundreds of doctors and alumni of the Faculty of Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital in Mahidol University, have demanded an immediate suspension of the decriminalisation.
They claimed that cannabis posed a threat to the public health system and to the short and long-term health of the people.
In a statement that was signed by 851 medical personnel, they said the government's decision to remove cannabis and hemp from Category 5 of the illegal narcotics list on June 9 was premature.
They said the decriminalisation was done when there was no policy yet on ways to control its use and this has resulted in widespread use of the plants for recreational purposes, including by the young.
The statement said this contradicted claims that the decriminalisation was intended to increase public access to medicinal cannabis.
They also voiced support for a network of academics and civil society organisations, who have earlier issued an open letter to the government calling for the suspension and for hearings to allow all stakeholders to participate in the drafting of a national cannabis policy.
They have also launched an online campaign that has been signed by thousands of people.
Meanwhile, the Bangkok Post reports that in response to the call, Bhumjaithai Party MP Supachai Jaisamut said there were rules in place which are meant to prevent cannabis abuse, especially by individuals under 20 years of age.
"We haven't seen a substantial increase in cannabis use after it was legalised for medical purposes, which means our regulations are so far effective," said the chairman of the panel that oversees cannabis and hemp related laws.
On the doctors' concerns, Supachai said the government was doing its best to come up with more effective rules to seal off any remaining legal loopholes in its medical cannabis regulations.
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