He also agreed that more regulation was likely necessary, but not at the cost of killing the entire industry itself.
Thailand will work towards controlling the use of cannabis through legislation instead of re-listing it as a narcotic, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced last week, signalling the latest policy U-turn on the issue.
In response, Mr Poonwarit told The Phuket News, “Making cannabis illegal again would have a huge impact. It would affect the whole industry related to cannabis: the retailers, suppliers and customers, including tourists.
“Our members at the Phuket Cannabis Association all agree with the government implementing any measures for better regulation in matters where they have genuine concern, but not with making cannabis entirely illegal again,” he said.
“They understand if the government can come out with a common sense answer and proper law enforcement that could bring both sides in the middle, but as long as they can continue their business. All our businesses support the economy and generate income, but re-criminalising is not the solution,” Mr Poonwarit argued.
“The government can regulate how much cannabis people can buy during a specified period of time, they can make a law saying that only people with prescriptions are allowed to be sold cannabis. They can do all this, and it would be okay. But what they should not do is make cannabis illegal again,” he said.
ONLY BENEFITS
So far there have only been clear benefits from decriminalising cannabis, Mr Poonwrit argued.
“People have had easier, cheaper access to medical treatments while the move has spurred the growth of an entire industry. Thailand is the only country where cannabis is legal. It is undeniable that Thailand has generated a huge amount of income in the past few years from the cannabis market as well as encouraging more tourists to flow in Thailand,” he said.
Cannabis has brought a positive impact on the economy, especially through tourism, and especially tourism to Phuket. An increase in tourism brings positive support for a whole range of sectors, including hotels and hospitality, transportation and restaurants, he noted.
“Also, cannabis-related tourism is year-round. It can be very helpful for Phuket’s tourism industry during the ‘low season’, and help support the industry during the time of year when there are very few tourists,” he explained.
In Phuket, there are currently 2,000 licensed cannabis shops, out of a total of 15,000 licensed shops across Thailand, Mr Poonwarit said.
“Recriminalising cannabis would affect the shops in Phuket, with many expected to close. The closures would result in the loss of around 6,000 to 8,000 jobs in Phuket and approximately 45,000 jobs in Thailand,” he added.
“Although cannabis businesses do not currently pay any industry specific taxes, the potential loss in VAT revenue for the government is significant, estimated to be around B10 billion or more if a 7% VAT were applied,” he continued.
The commercial real estate market in Phuket would also suffer due to the closure of over 2,000 shops, leading to increased vacancies, decreased property values and financial strain on related businesses such as suppliers and service providers, Mr Poonwarit noted.
Some government officials are claiming that decriminalising cannabis will have a negative effect on Thai youths, but they have yet to give any clear evidence or statistics of this, Mr Poonwarit also argued.
“Over the past two years while cannabis has been decriminalised, there have been very few cases of Thai youths being negatively affected, and very few reports of cannabis involved in instances of crime,” he said.
BACK AND FORTH
The government repeatedly reversing its stance on whether to recriminalise cannabis has already had negative impact, Mr Poonwarit pointed out.
“The whole process so far huge negative impact on the image of the government and its ability to make clear laws, instead of changing its mind after it starts,” he said.
“Right now the decriminalising, and recriminalising, of cannabis is being used as a political tool, and so far the government has not given any clear reasons as to why they want to recriminalise cannabis.
“Changing the law like this will negatively affect investors’ confidence in investing in the country. The loss of confidence in the law in Thailand could lead to loss of trustworthiness among international investors and affect international relations,” he added.