Opposition parties plan to ask Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) to dissolve the Bhumjaithai Party, for alleged violation of the Political Parties Act, over its policy to decriminalise cannabis.
Opposition leader Chonlanan Srikaew said on Monday that the Bhumjaithai Party’s flagship policy was designed to curry favour among the people for political gain, which is against the law, citing Section 92 of the organic law regarding political parties.
He claimed that the Bhumjaithai Party’s liberal cannabis policy is a separate issue from the Narcotics Bill, initiated by the Bhumjaithai Party to decriminalise cannabis.
The Ministry of Public Health issued a ministerial edict to remove cannabis and hemp from the Category Five list of drugs, effective June 9th.
The opposition leader also claimed that the policy has created widespread public misunderstanding about cannabis, which may affect the society as a whole.
He said the opposition parties will also ask the Administrative Court to rule the edict illegal, as it leads to a misconception that cannabis is safe for use and has medical benefits.
According to the edict, no part of a cannabis plant is regarded as an illegal narcotic, except for parts which contain more than 0.2% TSC by dry weight.
The Narcotics Bill, to decriminalise cannabis, was initiated by the Bhumjaithai Party and supported by several other parties. It passed its first reading in the House and was scrutinised by a House committee, led by the Bhumjaithai Party.
The Bill was shot down by majority of the MPs before itssecond and final readings in mid-September, after several medical associations voiced concern over the non-medical use of cannabis.
The Democrat Party, which earlier supported the Bill, did a U-turn, claiming that the Bill, which was originally intended to decriminalise cannabis for medical purposes only, had been distorted to cover non-medical and recreational purposes.
