Most people in Thailand’s northeast will plant cannabis, but not smoke it–poll

By: 3 years ago

Most people in Northeast will plant cannabis – but not smoke it

Cannabis leaves | FILE PHOTO

BANGKOK — Most households in the northeast of Thailand plan to plant cannabis to eat or sell, but won’t smoke it, according to an opinion survey by Khon Kaen University.

The E-Saan Poll surveyed a random sample of 1,105 residents aged 18-plus across all 20 northeast provinces, from June 17-19.

Asked if they plan to cultivate cannabis in their households, 51.1 percent of respondents said yes while 46.9 percent said no.

On whether they would eat foods containing cannabis, 73.2 percent said yes while 26.8 percent said no. But when asked whether they would smoke the newly legalized herb, 66.9 percent said no while 33.1 percent said they would smoke it, or at least try it.

The survey also asked respondents about cultivating cannabis as a cash crop.

Asked how they foresee the price of cannabis a year from now, 48.1 percent said it would stay high enough to make cultivation profitable, while 35.2 percent said it would drop to the level of vegetable prices and profits would be too low. Only 16.6 percent expected the price of marijuana would support big profits from its cultivation.

Asked whether cultivating cannabis plants would reduce their poverty, 33.3 percent said yes while 66.7 percent said no.

On cannabis use by children, 48.6 percent were worried it would affect their children’s studies, 33.5 percent were moderately worried, and the rest were a little worried.

Asked whether legalization would help reduce abuse of narcotics, especially of methamphetamine (“yaba”) and ketamine, 45.8 percent said no, 24.5 percent said yes, and the rest expected a surge in narcotics abuse.

More than eight out of 10 (83.3 percent) supported the ban on cannabis in schools, hospitals, temples and government offices, while 12.5 percent were opposed and 4.2 percent had no comment.