馃嚥馃嚭MauritiusEast Africa
Health professionals raise alarm over cannabis legalization, citing Thailand's experience
via Le Mauricien7 min read
Local medical professionals in Mauritius are expressing concerns about the proposed legalization of cannabis, fearing a poorly structured implementation and a lack of adequate legal and social frameworks. They highlight Thailand's experience, which decriminalized cannabis in 2022 but announced intentions in 2024 to significantly tighten regulations, limiting its use to medical purposes due to public health concerns, youth access, rapid market growth, and regulatory control difficulties. The doctors, who include general practitioners and specialists from both public and private sectors, are currently anonymous but plan to voice their concerns publicly. They believe that a hasty legalization without robust regulatory frameworks could lead to increased consumption among young people, a rise in psychiatric disorders and addiction, increased pressure on emergency services and hospitals, a higher risk of traffic accidents, and difficulties in maintaining public order and security. They emphasize that Thailand's reversal, expected to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic requiring a medical prescription from 2025, is a recognition of the adverse effects of initial liberalization. The Mauritian medical community points out that cannabis consumption impairs attention, reaction time, judgment, and motor coordination, potentially exacerbating the country's already high number of fatal road accidents. They also note that Thailand's experience showed a significant increase in cannabis consump
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