Things have moved slowly since Thailand\u2019s parliament voted to approve a medical marijuana program in December 2018\u2014which is hardly surprising, given that Southeast Asia has some of the world\u2019s most draconian cannabis laws. But on Aug. 4 the Thai cabinet signed off on a proposal to finally allow commercial cultivation, including for export.<\/p>\n
The proposal, submitted by the\u00a0Public Health Ministry<\/a>, is in the form of a package of amendments to the country\u2019s harsh Narcotics Drugs Act. If it clears parliament, which seems likely, it could mean the rapid emergence of a new industry in\u00a0Thailand.<\/p>\n \u201cThe law will promote the pharmaceutical industry and increase competitiveness, which will be important for Thailand in becoming a leader in medical cannabis,\u201d Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul\u00a0told reporters<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thailand faces strange contradictions where cannabis is concerned. The country was ruled by a military junta for years after a 2014 coup d\u2019etat, with powers restricted to the country\u2019s parliament, known as the Legislative Assembly. New elections in June 2019 seem to have mostly been a formality, with junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha\u00a0becoming prime minister<\/a>. The army and King Maha Vajiralongkorn still have\u00a0broad emergency powers<\/a>, and this extends to drug enforcement. Police in Thailand are actually empowered to order spot urine tests of anyone they stop who is suspected of cannabis use\u2014motorists or pedestrians. A positive test is treated as possession.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yet cannabis has deep roots in Thailand\u2019s culture. The country has a centuries-long\u00a0tradition of cannabis use<\/a> in folk medicine, and it is home to rare and highly prized\u00a0sativa\u00a0<\/em>landraces.<\/p>\n Thailand is now moving to close this contradiction. Last September, the\u00a0largest legal cannabis crop<\/a>\u00a0in Southeast Asia was planted in a greenhouse complex at\u00a0Maejo University<\/a>. In the northern Chiang Mai province\u2014traditionally home to both widespread cannabis and opium cultivation\u2014the university is Thailand\u2019s oldest and most respected agricultural institution. The 12,000 plants are now being used for production of cannabis oil.<\/p>\n Four hospitals around the country are currently piloting treatments with this oil: Khlong Muang Hospital in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Chiang Phin Hospital in Udon Thani, Ban Na Yao Nuea Hospital in Sakon Nakhon and Ban Na Pak Khow hospital in Phatthalung. All but the last, are in Thailand\u2019s northeast highlands, a region known as Isan, where the tradition of cannabis use and cultivation is\u00a0strongest<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier last year,\u00a0Rangsit University<\/a>\u00a0(just outside Bangkok) launched a \u201cGanja Studies Department<\/a>,\u201d and research facility, with an eye toward laying the groundwork for a thriving cannabis industry in the country.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But\u00a0the 2018 law<\/a>\u00a0only allowed cultivation and extraction under the close supervision of universities or other state entities. The new legislative package will open things up considerably.<\/p>\n The Public Health Ministry passed the proposal on to the cabinet following public hearings in June, the\u00a0Bangkok Post<\/a>\u00a0reports. Significantly, it also passed muster with the military-controlled\u00a0Narcotics Control Board<\/a>. Prior to going before the Legislative Assembly, the proposal will have to undergo one final hurdle \u2013 it will need to be screened by the prime minister\u2019s\u00a0Council of State<\/a>.<\/p>\n A unique aspect of the proposal is the role it carves out for traditional medical practitioners and folk healers. Dr. Marut Jirasrattasiri, director-general of the Department of Thai Traditional & Alternative Medicine,\u00a0told reporters<\/a>\u00a0that cannabis clinics run by such healers are waiting to go online at some 300 public health centers around the country, and have received 60,000 requests for treatment this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Under the proposal, farmers would be able to cultivate to supply such health centers, or work under contract to supply pharmaceutical companies. Traditional healers, who constitute a strong lobby in Thailand, petitioned to be included in the law. They\u00a0raised concerns<\/a>\u00a0about the global industry privatizing what has been a genetic commons for peasant cannabis cultivators in the country for centuries, if not millennia. The tension between capitalist enterprises and local control will likely continue under the newly expanded program.<\/p>\n The program still emphasizes oils, extracts and tinctures. Permitting the use of smokable flower has not been broached.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, cannabis advocates at both ends of the industry-peasantry spectrum are greatly enthused. Paisarn Dunkum, secretary-general of Thailand\u2019s\u00a0Food & Drug Administration<\/a>, predicted this sentiment to the\u00a0Bangkok Post<\/a>\u00a0saying, \u201cThis will be another step for our country to become a leader that applies cannabis systematically in the medical field.\u201d<\/p>\n TELL US<\/strong>, do you think Thailand would benefit from legal cannabis?<\/p>\n The post Thailand Set to Expand Medical Marijuana Program<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Things have moved slowly since Thailand\u2019s parliament voted to approve a medical marijuana program in December 2018\u2014which is hardly surprising, given that Southeast Asia has some of the world\u2019s most draconian cannabis laws. But on Aug. 4 the Thai cabinet signed off on a proposal to finally allow commercial cultivation,Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,53,415,139,128],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44115"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44115"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44116,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44115\/revisions\/44116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Thailand\u2019s Cannabis Contradiction\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Role for Traditional Healers\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
\nRead More: Thailand Set to Expand Medical Marijuana Program<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"