Thai lawmakers are retiring the marijuana law — here’s why

Through Jelena Martinovic

Lawmakers in Thailand have voted to withdraw a law that regulates the broader use of cannabis in the country. According to Bloomberg, the The bill was returned to committee for further revision after a vote of 198 to 136 by members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The Democratic Party, part of the ruling coalition and opposition MPs from Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties, opposed the measure, despite having passed its first reading in the chamber back in June.

Opponents of the bill claim that the original version was significantly amended after the first reading.

The move comes about three months after Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to decriminalize marijuana, removing it from the Category 5 list of prohibited narcotics and allowing the legal home cultivation and sale of cannabis plants.

Photo by Mongkol Chuewong/Getty Images

Cafes that sell cannabis are looking for mushrooms

Since then, the number of outlets and cafes selling cannabis products in the capital and other cities has grown exponentially, although the government has stressed on several occasions that the move should encourage medicinal and commercial use rather than recreational use. Interestingly, the bill did not directly target recreational smoking as illegal.

RELATED: Thailand decriminalizes marijuana, but recreational use is still illegal

Sutin Klangsang, an MP from Pheu Thai, said they were concerned that the proliferation of companies selling cannabis would lead to children and people becoming addicted.

“The law does not control cannabis, in fact it encourages it and leaves room for its use to go from medicinal to extremely recreational,” Klangsang said.

Meanwhile, in the weeks following cannabis decriminalization, Thailand made headlines for its lack of cannabis regulation.

RELATED: Weed smokers not welcome in Thailand, health minister says as country struggles to revive tourism

Shortly after Health Minister Anutin Charnvirak gave away one million marijuana plants as a sign of goodwill, the opposition slammed him, arguing that he was causing social problems and violating local and international laws by decriminalizing marijuana without proper oversight.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.