Poll: Majority of Thai Citizens Support Recent Cannabis Legalization Reforms

A survey conducted by Thailand’s National Institute of Development Administration found that 58.55% of citizens agreed with the government’s decision to remove cannabis from the nation’s Category 5 narcotics list, the Bangkok Post reports. The survey found that 41.45% disagreed with the move, with 24.98% saying cannabis is harmful to children and youth and the government has been unable to control its use. 

The majority of respondents (67.02%) indicated they have no experience with cannabis while 32.98% said they had some experience.  

The poll found that 34.81% of respondents strongly agreed with the reforms, saying cannabis is a valuable plant that can be used for medical purposes and to generate income; 23.74% moderately approved of the action, saying cannabis is more useful than harmful. Another 16.56% of those polled moderately disagreed with the reforms, saying cannabis use is hazardous to health.  

Thai officials removed cannabis from the narcotics list in February and legalized the cultivation and trade of the plant earlier this month. 

The survey found that 42.44% of respondents were worried “a lot” about improper use of cannabis by children and youth, with 29.62% saying they were worried to some degree, 16.95% not at all worried, and 10.99% somewhat concerned.  

A little more than a third (34.05%) of respondents said they would use cannabis for medical purposes; 31.15% for recreational purposes; 22.21% for use in food and beverages; and 12.59% for various commercial products. 

Of those who responded that they have experience with the plant, 30.56% said they had smoked it; 21.06% used it for medical purposes; 6.94% had grown it; 1.39% had produced cannabis-based products for commercial purposes; 0.23% had been involved in the trade.