Thai Government Drafting Regulations For Medical Cannabis Laws

Thai Government Drafting Regulations For Medical Cannabis Laws

How the Thai Government Drafted Their Medical Cannabis Laws from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

Is Thailand ready for medical cannabis?

Yes, a country with notoriously harsh drug laws is finally stepping up its MMJ game.

Thailand just announced that the government is working on a draft to expand the use of medical cannabis in the country. The draft is expected to be released sometime this week, and experts think that this could pave the way for pouring millions of dollars in investments for Thailand.

The Thai government has quietly been working on the narcotics draft since last year, which would allow medical cannabis research to be conducted on humans.

Jim Plamondon, vice president of the Thai Cannabis Corporation told Marijuana Business Daily that the country is serious about MMJ. He also thinks that Thailand is geared to be a major player in Asia’s cannabis industry. “Any company that is participating in the global cannabis industry should consider being among the first to move the least-profitable links in its global supply chain to Thailand,” Plamondon told MJBizDaily. “The money it saves by doing so can be invested in moving up the value chain towards establishing consumer brands, because that’s where the big money will be…. Because that’s where the big money always is.”

Thailand could finally open the doors to the $4 billion medical cannabis industry, which could develop in just under a decade.

“Thailand is moving fastest among Asian nations to legalize cannabis, albeit in a very step-by-step manner,” Plamondon added. His company, the Thai Cannabis Corp., was the first in Thailand to be granted permission to grow cannabis and make it into extracts, isolates, and oils.

However, all cannabis grown in the country should not go beyond 1% THC.

Thailand’s Regulating Agencies

According to an article on the Bangkok Post, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCDB) is in charge of drafting up the narcotics code. It will allow medical research on humans, and will be presented to the cabinet next week.

Dr. Sophon Mekthon announced last Thursday that if the cabinet approves the draft narcotics code, it will then be sent to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) for discussion. Mekthon is the chair of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO). Then when the NLA approves it, Thailand’s new cannabis laws could be enacted within 180 days of publishing it in the Royal Gazette.

But before you plan a trip to Thailand, learn about the rules.

The Narcotics Act states that planting and extracting substances from cannabis would only be allowed for medical purposes.

A committee hearing last week was attended by key figures who would play an important role in the local cannabis industry and shaping the regulations. The attendees included Mekthon as well as Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, wherein they discussed various cannabis issues including how to improve cannabis varieties, growing, regulation, and medical research.

Mekthon also said that panels would be established to oversee specific cannabis issues. The first panel will be overseen by the GPO to grow cannabis and figure out ways of improving it. The GPO will also be working alongside the Kasetsart University as well as professors and experts. The second committee will oversee property extraction for medical use; it will be overseen by the GPO and supported by the National Science and Technology Development Agency, the Department of Medical Sciences (DMS), and professors in the department of pharmacy at Mahidol and Rangsit Universities.

The third committee will be supervised by the DMS together with the Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicines Department to study the medicinal properties and benefits of cannabis and how it can be used in traditional as well as conventional medicine. The King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital’s Emerging Infectious Disease Health Science Centre and the Department of Mental Health will support this panel.

The last committee is in charge of regulating research on cannabis and its medicinal use. It will be overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in cooperation with the ONCB.

Thailand’s FDA is also given the task of regulating all products that have been made from cannabis. Additionally, the GPO is also considering converting its current office on Rama IV Road to make it into a cannabis research center.

If everything goes as planned, Thailand could become the early Asian adopter and hopefully will set the trend of relaxing approaches to policies governing cannabis in the region.