Why is Asia divided on a green light for medical marijuana?

Name: Thailand health minister plants cannabis seedlings as nation chases medical marijuana market
Uploaded: 2020-12-17T02:00:20.000Z
Duration: 1 min 41 s
Description: Thailand health minister plants cannabis seedlings as nation chases medical marijuana market

A UN commission this month voted to reclassify cannabis as a drug that is less dangerous and has therapeutic benefits

But Thailand is the sole Asian nation to legalise it for medical use, and some countries in the region oppose the resolution

Reading Time:6 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

The issue of cannabis legalisation around the world was once again thrust into the spotlight this month. Photo: Getty Images

Dewey Sim

Published: 10:00am, 17 Dec 2020Updated: 3:46pm, 18 Dec 2020

Thailand, the sole Asian country to legalise cannabis for medical use, is so keen on educating locals about the drug’s benefits that tourism and sports minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn this month unveiled a medical marijuana tour that will cover eight provinces, set to kick off next year. But not too far away, in Singapore, top officials are singing a starkly different tune.

Law and home affairs minister K. Shanmugam has in recent weeks taken to social media on multiple occasions to stress the island nation’s zero-tolerance stance on drugs – marijuana included. Earlier this month, he told local media Singapore had to “hold the line” on the issue and needed to persuade the international community “based on rationality and science”.

The issue of cannabis legalisation around the world was once again thrust into the spotlight this month, following a vote by the United Nations’ Commission on Narcotic Drugs to reclassify it one that is less dangerous and has medical or therapeutic benefits.

On December 2, the commission’s 53 member states voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. There were 27 nations in favour – including the United States, India, Nepal and Thailand – while among the 25 in opposition were Russia, China and Japan, as well as one abstention.

01:41

Thailand health minister plants cannabis seedlings as nation chases medical marijuana market

Experts said the result could prompt greater medical research and legalisation efforts around the world. But it also illustrated a separate issue: Asian nations are starkly divided on their views towards marijuana use, a not entirely surprising outcome given the efforts made to recognise its benefits in countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. Thailand on Wednesday said it would no longer classify cannabis plants and extracts as a Category 5 narcotic – though cannabis buds containing high amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, will remain illegal.

Reports also pointed to potential diplomatic pressures at play, including India’s decision to vote alongside the US on the issue despite the Asian nation’s narcotics bureau having previously ramped up efforts to question and arrest celebrities – including television personality Bharti Singh and actress Deepika Padukone – for alleged possession of narcotics.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x