Buri Ram, the self-proclaimed capital of the Bhumjaithai Party, was on a high last Friday, albeit not from cannabis, but from the historic achievement of liberalising the use of the plant, condemned as a narcotic for eight decades.
Yes, Thailand has finally woken up to see the benefits of medical cannabis and its commercial potential after being duped by the Western world for more than 80 years into believing that cannabis is a narcotic, although the plant was used as medicinal herb to heal illnesses since the days of King Narai of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1632. In 1934, a law was enacted prohibiting the possession, cultivation and trade of cannabis.
More than 30,000 people packed the Chang International Circuit on Friday to join the first major cannabis exhibition, presided over by Public Health Minister and Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul -- one day after the removal of cannabis from narcotic list.
On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration's website and mobile application through which people could register to grow cannabis and/or hemp were overwhelmed with so many users that the website collapsed. However, more than 120,000 managed to register.
The response was encouraging. Many of those who registered may have seen the commercial potential of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes, although Mr Anutin had announced his intention was purely for medical purposes, as he hopes the decriminalisation of cannabis will not encourage abuses, especially among Thai youth.
That may be easier said than done because since Thursday, smoking cannabis in private or in public is no longer illegal and police will not make an arrest unless its smell or smoke becomes a nuisance to other people.
In fact, a guideline issued by the ministry for various authorities said an offender will only receive a warning for a first offence.
Without a doubt, Bhumjaithai is riding high on its successful cannabis policy.
If that could be turned into electoral support, the party will win many more votes and more parliamentary seats if an election is held in the near future.
The Move Forward Party also had its moment of success and jubilation when its progressive liquor bill passed its first reading in the House last week.
In fact, several MPs from the government camp, including the Democrats, Bhumjaithai and Palang Pracharath parties voted in support of the bill.
Although there isn't a specific way we can gauge the public's reaction to the passage of the bill, just like in the case of Bhumjaithai and cannabis, the Move Forward Party probably won much praise from many camps, especially community-based entrepreneurs keen to carve out a small market share which has so far only been enjoyed by big corporations.
The liquor bill will break the monopoly held by a few corporate distillers, which may see their profits shrink. Consumers, however, will benefit as they will have more options.
The Move Forward Party can expect more votes from young voters in the next election from this bill, as well as the civil partnership bill which also passed its first reading last week; and the marriage equality bill, which has yet to be debated in the parliament.
It won't be a surprise if the two parties win more votes in the next election -- if they can keep their momentum until then.
So, where are the old heavyweights, like the Palang Pracharath, Pheu Thai and Democrats? They appear to lack the vision and new innovations to win over the hearts of voters.
Pheu Thai, for instance, may have strengthened its hold in Bangkok as shown by its achievement in the city councillor election on May 22, when it won 20 out of 50 seats.
But the party still does not have the progressive innovations that will attract the young voters, many of them too young to be familiar with exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom the party has always tried to market.
Not to mention the Palang Pracharath and Democrat parties, which appear to be obsolete, too clumsy and too slow to catch up with the new generation.
The partial legalisation of cannabis is the first step in the right direction for Thailand, to carve out a piece of the lucrative global medical cannabis market which was estimated to be worth about US$11 billion (about 381 billion baht) in 2015 and is expected to increase to $56 billion in 2025, according to research firm Grand View Research.
But more needs to be done and it cannot be done by the Bhumjaithai or the Public Health Ministry alone.
There are several areas, such as R&D and marketing, that require further planning and funding from the state and/or the private sector.
We can't simply encourage every household to grow cannabis, or legalise household and commercial use, without a plan about where they can sell their crops.
Their crops, too, must be up to standard. And if we are to enter the global market for medical cannabis, we need credible research and production facilities to be competitive.
Israel is a country from which we can learn.
The Bhumjaithai Party has just made its first big step. To keep up the momentum, it should move on to realise the dream of making Thailand a key player in the medical cannabis industry.
Veera Prateepchaikul is former editor, Bangkok Post.
