THAILAND'S legalisation of cannabis has raised concerns that it could be used for recreation purposes as there was lack of proper regulations on the matter.
Chulalongkorn University's Medicine Faculty dean Chanchai Sittipunt said there were concerns about youths having easy access to cannabis as there was no law prohibiting underage use.
According to a Bangkok Post report, he said it was a little late now to wait for the Cannabis and Hemp Act to be passed as currently anyone can buy and sell cannabis anywhere.
Although Thailand has decriminalised cannabis for medical use and also to boost the economy by promoting the plant as a cash crop, there are fears that people could mix cannabis in food or come up with products which unsuspecting people may consume.
Don't Drive Drunk Foundation Secretary-general Dr Taejing Siripanich told the Post that he was concerned about road accidents that could be caused by motorists under the influence of cannabis.
"I'm concerned about the repercussions of consuming cannabis while driving a vehicle as it will affect driving capability," he said.
"We have campaigned [against drunk driving] for more than 30 years, but daily accidents still happen because of drunk driving."
"Now we have ganja, and we do not have a law to [control it]. I think the punishment should be heavier than the one given to those driving under the influence of alcohol," he added.
Rasmon Kalayasiri, director of the Centre for Addiction Study at Chulalongkorn University's Medicine Faculty, said she has not seen any measures to help prevent the abuse of cannabis.
She said there were also no laws or regulations controlling cannabis use in food and that excessive amounts of the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) mixed in food can make people intoxicated.
"What I am concerned about the most is cannabis use among adolescents as it is toxic and could damage brain cells," she said.
She added that although there was no clear evidence proving that cannabis was a gateway drug, parents needed to pay attention to their children by encouraging them to stay away from the plant.
She also said her team found in a study that the government's cannabis policy was encouraging youths to use cannabis.
The study found that one per cent of adolescents used cannabis in 2019 but the number increased to two per cent in 2020 and 2.5 per cent last year.
Underscoring the risks associated with cannabis, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had also expressed concerns over the use of cannabis and emphasised that the decriminalisation of the plant was not for recreational purposes.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the prime minister had heard the concerns and suggestions of many sectors over the matter.
He said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who led the country's cannabis decriminalisation move, was now chairing a panel on the national cannabis policy that seeks to ensure its use was in line with the government's medical purpose plan.
Thanakorn said the premier has reiterated that the plan was to build an understanding that cannabis decriminalisation was not for recreational purposes and people's concerns that it can also impact health.