https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2018/07/04/medical-thai-weed-gets-a-launch-date/
seems that link don't work.
Copied and pasted from another site..
BANGKOK — Marijuana decriminalization activists Tuesday hailed news that cannabis will be grown legally for the first time in Thailand, possibly in the northeast.
Rattapon Sanrak, founder of a group that advocates for cannabis legalization, said that although reported plans to build a plantation in Sakon Nakhon province aren’t a done deal, officials have taken positive steps by going ahead with the project.
“I think it will certainly help build a positive image,” said Rattapon, who heads a group called Highland. “Apart from image, it will help the patients. And if they can distribute it to farmers, instead of letting several corporations have a monopoly, it will also help farmers to have more revenue.”
Word of a possible construction of a 5,000 rai (800 hectare) facility comes months after drug authorities confirmed plans to legalize cannabis for medical purposes, though health officials said Tuesday that they were yet to be informed about it. No time frame was given for the plantation to open.
Farmer association chairman Prapat Panyachartraksa told the media that its crops would be harvested solely for medical research, adding that he had been notified about the plan by the Narcotics Control Board, the agency responsible for enforcing drug laws.
Rattapon said it’s unlikely the marijuana will be sold over-the-counter as is now legal in many US states. Instead, he said, they will likely be processed not for their THC – the substance that gets people high – but for compounds such as cannabidiol, or CBD, which is used in seizure medication and cancer treatment studies.
Any unlicensed cultivation, use or sale of marijuana remains illegal, though in October anti-drug officials said they would move toward the partial decriminalization of cannabis for medical use.
Narcotics Control Board director Sirinya Sitdhichai could not immediately be reached for comment.
But the public health ministry – which would be responsible for facilitating studies using marijuana extracts – said it has only heard about the planned plantation in Sakon Nakhon from the media.
“We have never spoken about this,” spokeswoman Sirima Teerasak said. “The ministry is only doing work with the decriminalization of hemps. But there’s no information about marijuana.”
She said the Food and Drug Administration would hold a news conference about the matter later Tuesday afternoon.
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news...8/01/16/thailand-build-first-legal-weed-farm/
MEDICAL THAI WEED GETS A LAUNCH DATE
Medical marijuana will be available in Thailand nine months from now, a top health official announced Tuesday.
After the cabinet moved to legalize the use of medical cannabis, Sophon Mekthon of the Public Health Ministry said the law will come into effect April 2019.
He said that the junta-appointed legislature accepted his office’s proposal last month on a schedule to implement the policy following successful testing of cannabis to treat several conditions.
Thailand’s own studies confirmed that marijuana can be used to treat three illnesses, namely nausea and loss of appetite for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, epilepsy in children and multiple sclerosis.
A Wednesday poll by Matichon Online found a majority of respondents agreed with the plan.
Marijuana isn’t the only drug under review for criminalization since the former head of the Justice Ministry declared the war on drugs a failure two years ago. In May, the nation’s top anti-narcotics officer proposed legalizing kratom, an herbal stimulant in wide use.
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2018/07/04/medical-thai-weed-gets-a-launch-date/
RESEARCHER URGES GOVT TO SUPPORT THAI CANNABIS STRAINS
BANGKOK — An agricultural expert called on authorities Thursday to develop domestic cannabis strains for medical research instead of relying on expensive, foreign imports.
Two days after the cabinet approved a historic measure that cleared the way for cultivation and consumption of marijuana for research purposes, Kasetsart University professor Vichien Keeratinijakal warned that the end result must be affordable to the public.
“Thai cannabis is considered to be the best in the world, so we should stick to the Thai strain to keep costs low,” Vichien, a botanist whose works involve medicinal plants, said in an interview. “If the costs of production are high, hospitals will end up importing medicines from abroad. In the end, it will come to what we have in our hand.”
The majority of cannabis grown worldwide belongs to the indica strain, which requires a controlled environment and lighting condition; while the sativa strain – common in Thailand – is more resistant to harsh weather, Vichien said.
“If we import, it will lead to enormous costs. Therefore, we should grow our own plants and make our own medicines,” the professor added. “We should develop our own strain.”
One marijuana grower agreed that domestic strains should be preferred over imports to reduce costs. However, the person – who has experience growing hybrid sativa plants for personal use – said the claims of superiority are not well established.
“We like to talk about how our Thai strains are better than foreign ones and all that, but we don’t have research to back this up so far,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of legal concern. “The claims that Thai strains are better arose during the Vietnam War. That was the ‘70s. This is 2018.”
In a cabinet resolution passed Tuesday, the military government approved a legal amendment that would allow human consumption of Category 5 narcotics – hemp, cannabis, kratom and opium – in medical experiments. It also greenlights the cultivation of marijuana for the said experiments.
The decision follows years of calls from those who want to unlock therapeutic use of marijuana. Under existing narcotics laws, researchers can possess cannabis for studies, but they are not allowed to test it on humans.
The amendments have yet to be finalized by the interim parliament, and a government spokesman told reporters on Wednesday that the measures do not extend to recreational or uses outside of medicine.
seems that link don't work.
Copied and pasted from another site..
BANGKOK — Marijuana decriminalization activists Tuesday hailed news that cannabis will be grown legally for the first time in Thailand, possibly in the northeast.
Rattapon Sanrak, founder of a group that advocates for cannabis legalization, said that although reported plans to build a plantation in Sakon Nakhon province aren’t a done deal, officials have taken positive steps by going ahead with the project.
“I think it will certainly help build a positive image,” said Rattapon, who heads a group called Highland. “Apart from image, it will help the patients. And if they can distribute it to farmers, instead of letting several corporations have a monopoly, it will also help farmers to have more revenue.”
Word of a possible construction of a 5,000 rai (800 hectare) facility comes months after drug authorities confirmed plans to legalize cannabis for medical purposes, though health officials said Tuesday that they were yet to be informed about it. No time frame was given for the plantation to open.
Farmer association chairman Prapat Panyachartraksa told the media that its crops would be harvested solely for medical research, adding that he had been notified about the plan by the Narcotics Control Board, the agency responsible for enforcing drug laws.
Rattapon said it’s unlikely the marijuana will be sold over-the-counter as is now legal in many US states. Instead, he said, they will likely be processed not for their THC – the substance that gets people high – but for compounds such as cannabidiol, or CBD, which is used in seizure medication and cancer treatment studies.
Any unlicensed cultivation, use or sale of marijuana remains illegal, though in October anti-drug officials said they would move toward the partial decriminalization of cannabis for medical use.
Narcotics Control Board director Sirinya Sitdhichai could not immediately be reached for comment.
But the public health ministry – which would be responsible for facilitating studies using marijuana extracts – said it has only heard about the planned plantation in Sakon Nakhon from the media.
“We have never spoken about this,” spokeswoman Sirima Teerasak said. “The ministry is only doing work with the decriminalization of hemps. But there’s no information about marijuana.”
She said the Food and Drug Administration would hold a news conference about the matter later Tuesday afternoon.
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news...8/01/16/thailand-build-first-legal-weed-farm/
MEDICAL THAI WEED GETS A LAUNCH DATE
Medical marijuana will be available in Thailand nine months from now, a top health official announced Tuesday.
After the cabinet moved to legalize the use of medical cannabis, Sophon Mekthon of the Public Health Ministry said the law will come into effect April 2019.
He said that the junta-appointed legislature accepted his office’s proposal last month on a schedule to implement the policy following successful testing of cannabis to treat several conditions.
Thailand’s own studies confirmed that marijuana can be used to treat three illnesses, namely nausea and loss of appetite for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, epilepsy in children and multiple sclerosis.
A Wednesday poll by Matichon Online found a majority of respondents agreed with the plan.
Marijuana isn’t the only drug under review for criminalization since the former head of the Justice Ministry declared the war on drugs a failure two years ago. In May, the nation’s top anti-narcotics officer proposed legalizing kratom, an herbal stimulant in wide use.
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2018/07/04/medical-thai-weed-gets-a-launch-date/
RESEARCHER URGES GOVT TO SUPPORT THAI CANNABIS STRAINS
BANGKOK — An agricultural expert called on authorities Thursday to develop domestic cannabis strains for medical research instead of relying on expensive, foreign imports.
Two days after the cabinet approved a historic measure that cleared the way for cultivation and consumption of marijuana for research purposes, Kasetsart University professor Vichien Keeratinijakal warned that the end result must be affordable to the public.
“Thai cannabis is considered to be the best in the world, so we should stick to the Thai strain to keep costs low,” Vichien, a botanist whose works involve medicinal plants, said in an interview. “If the costs of production are high, hospitals will end up importing medicines from abroad. In the end, it will come to what we have in our hand.”
The majority of cannabis grown worldwide belongs to the indica strain, which requires a controlled environment and lighting condition; while the sativa strain – common in Thailand – is more resistant to harsh weather, Vichien said.
“If we import, it will lead to enormous costs. Therefore, we should grow our own plants and make our own medicines,” the professor added. “We should develop our own strain.”
One marijuana grower agreed that domestic strains should be preferred over imports to reduce costs. However, the person – who has experience growing hybrid sativa plants for personal use – said the claims of superiority are not well established.
“We like to talk about how our Thai strains are better than foreign ones and all that, but we don’t have research to back this up so far,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of legal concern. “The claims that Thai strains are better arose during the Vietnam War. That was the ‘70s. This is 2018.”
In a cabinet resolution passed Tuesday, the military government approved a legal amendment that would allow human consumption of Category 5 narcotics – hemp, cannabis, kratom and opium – in medical experiments. It also greenlights the cultivation of marijuana for the said experiments.
The decision follows years of calls from those who want to unlock therapeutic use of marijuana. Under existing narcotics laws, researchers can possess cannabis for studies, but they are not allowed to test it on humans.
The amendments have yet to be finalized by the interim parliament, and a government spokesman told reporters on Wednesday that the measures do not extend to recreational or uses outside of medicine.
Last edited:
