Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul and sports mogul Newin Chidchob yesterday joined the effort to help two people who are facing criminal charges for illegally cultivating marijuana and possessing cannabis oil, following a police raid on a marijuana farming facility.
Anutin: Expected to post bail tomorrow
Pornchai Choolert, an employee of the Kwan Kaw Foundation, was arrested on April 3 when authorities searched the agricultural research centre in Suphan Buri and found about 200 marijuana plants as well as cannabis oils.
Decha Siripat, president of the foundation who was overseas during the raid, has been summonsed to answer charges of illegal production, possession and distribution of marijuana oil for medical use.
Mr Decha is well-known in alternative therapy circles for experimenting with marijuana for medical purposes for almost two decades. His foundation produced oil from the plants and distributed it to patients in need, police said. The amended Narcotics Act allows the cultivation and use of marijuana for medical and research purposes under strict supervision.
Mr Anutin, whose party campaigned to relax marijuana cultivation rules in the run-up to March 24 polls, yesterday turned to his Facebook to offer assistance to Mr Pornchai and Mr Decha. He is expected to apply for bail for Mr Pornchai tomorrow. The Bhumjaithai Party leader also emphasised the party's policy, saying he would also push ahead with the proposal to amend the Narcotics Act and allow people to grow marijuana for private and medical uses.
Mr Newin, president of Buriram United Football Club who is closely affiliated with the Bhumjaithai Party, came up with the #SaveDecha social media tag to press Thai authorities to take the right action to protect traditional medicines.
Mr Newin criticised the raid, saying that by destroying the marijuana plants and medicine-making tools, the authorities are "wiping out local wisdom", which runs contrary to the government's efforts to further look into the medical benefits of marijuana extracts.
"I want to express my support to Mr Decha and other local researchers. I will also help them fight in our courts," he wrote. "I am calling on everyone to support and promote cannabis cultivation for medical purposes, and to protect the industry from being monopolised by large companies."
The pair's move came after the Biodiversity Sustainable Agriculture Food Sovereignty Action Thailand (Biothai) and its allies called on the public to help Mr Pornchai and Mr Decha.
The raid also sparked an outcry from civic groups who questioned if the raid was legitimate, as both producers and patients were told at the end of February that they have three months to register with authorities.
