The ONCB-hosted discussion titled “Perspectives and Feedbacks After Cannabis and Krathom Left the Narcotics Act” aimed to garner the opinions of various relevant parties, in hopes of finding ways to prevent children and youth from abusing the two medicinal herbs.
Pol. Col. Tawee Sodsong, the minister of justice, asserted that krathom and cannabis were taken off the official list of narcotic substances with the intention of generating medicinal and economic benefits. Their removal from the list was also in hopes of enabling people to use krathom in the traditional way, which has long been prevalent in parts of Thailand. However, the minister noted that misuse or recreational use of these herbs has been detected. Children and youth have also been gaining greater access to krathom and cannabis after the herbs were no longer legally considered as narcotics.
According to the justice minister, the discussion saw participation from narcotics experts, academics, and individuals relevant to law enforcement. They exchanged their views on the situation and reflected on the developments that have come about since the removal of the two plants from the narcotics list. The participants sought to urgently bring about monitoring against the spread of cannabis and krathom use among children and youth. They also sought to improve public awareness about the harms of abusing cannabis and krathom to deter people from misusing the herbs.
The discussion focused on exchanging thoughts on 2 topics, namely the repercussions of removing cannabis and krathom from the narcotics list, and policy suggestions for monitoring against any exacerbation of cannabis and krathom abuse.
The ONCB will compile information obtained from the discussion and turn them into policy guidelines for the prevention of cannabis and krathom misuse. (NNT)
