Thai Lawmakers Withdraw Marijuana Bill

Lawmakers in Thailand decided to withdraw a piece of legislation regulating the broader use of cannabis in the country. According to Bloomberg, the bill was sent back to the committee for further revision after a 198 to 136 vote by members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The Democrat party, a part of the ruling coalition and opposition MPs from the Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties, were against the measure, even though it had already passed its first reading in the chamber in June.

Those opposing the bill claim that the original version was significantly amended following the first reading. The move came some three months after Thailand became the first South-East Asian country to decriminalize marijuana by removing it from the banned Category 5 narcotics list and allowing legal cultivation of cannabis plants at home and its sales.