Activist Daycha Siripatra turned from a villain to a hero overnight.
On April 3, state authorities comprising police and anti-drugs officials mounted a raid at his Khaokwan Foundation in Suphan Buri.
As the name suggests, the foundation advocates organic rice farming. But the foundation over the past few years has also been known among some cancer patients as a place where they can get ganja plants or extracts for free.
After the raid, the authorities triumphantly told the media they had seized 200 marijuana plants, some bottled ganja extract and seeds. A very big deal indeed. They also threw a senior foundation employee behind bars, while his interrogation went on for several days. Such harsh treatment -- as if he was a criminal -- effectively humiliated a man who has helped so many people suffering from serious diseases. Mr Daycha was in Laos promoting organic farming when the raid took place, which somehow managed to raise a few eyebrows.
Yet the authorities vehemently defended their move. "The law is the law," they said. After all, possessing marijuana is illegal and the authorities "had no choice but to make the arrest."
Civic society then fought back with the #savedecha campaign, while some big name politicians jumped on the ganja bandwagon. People who had received assistance from his "illegal" ganja project shared their stories. Some said how they or their family members had been saved or how their plight had been eased in a way that made modern medicine look next to useless.
The story ended with a twist, as reported in the media.
This week, the government made Mr Daycha a traditional medicine practitioner. The Public Health Ministry issued him with a certificate. It also categorises him as a researcher.
Mr Daycha told the media: "I can be whatever they want me to be, medicine practitioner, or researcher, if that [status] can help sick people gain access to medicine."
Perhaps, those involved in the April 3 crackdown don't know Mr Daycha and his advocacy. Or perhaps they know Mr Daycha all too well. What the activist is doing -- a noble goal of distributing free marijuana oil to a million poor, suffering from serious diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's and Alzeimers' and the like, could upset some big pharma companies that want to dominate our market.
This raised suspicions about the raid, which took place when there is still a grace period for an amnesty for declaring marijuana possession that lasts till next month. Some thought conspiracy. But even if that were true, no one would admit it.
The raid took me to the time when I was still a reporter on the environment beat. I met Mr Daycha for the first time when he was spearheading a campaign against genetic modified BT cotton after the Agriculture Department allowed experimental BT cotton in designated provinces even though the country had no law to deal with GM contamination.
And there was indeed contamination in some provinces including Phetchabun and Loei, among others. The anti-BT cotton campaign eventually landed him in legal trouble. The Agriculture Department chief accused him of defamation, and also wrongly accused him of deliberately causing the contamination. Legal battles went ahead quietly.
As I was assigned to other news beats later on, we lost track of each other. Yet, I keep following his organic rice project. Mr Daycha is soft-spoken but never bows to corrupt mandarins, nor agro giants. What a combination. He is a humble man with a big heart and courage. His fight against the GM business and state officials who seek to please the biotech industry proves this. Not once have we questioned his integrity.
I don't know when exactly he began his ganja project, but I heard about it from a friend who has terminal cancer. She was among those getting help.
A Facebook post by one of his followers said Mr Daycha tested the cannabis oil on himself for years before giving it to others. He left some extracts at a temple where desperate patients could have access. Mr Daycha believes in integrating Buddhist practices in the healing process.
But overnight, what is illegal turns out to be legal, and the state hastily made a U-turn.
Marijuana distribution will soon be resumed. No, I don't say ganja oil from the Khaokwan Foundation is an elixir. It requires more work, more research to improve it for greater public benefit. What he has done is just the beginning. But it's a solid start that should ensure we can stand on our own feet, when it comes to medical marijuana. Not to depend on and be taken advantage of by greedy business operators.
Let's salute a man with such great courage.
Ploenpote Atthakor is editorial pages editor, Bangkok Post.
