Thailand: Government produces oils and authorizes self-cultivation of 6 plants

Thailand legalized the use of medical cannabis 8 months ago, however, faced with the lack of cannabis-based medicines, the government has produced a batch of oils that will be distributed to public hospitals and the prescription can start immediately. A pilot project that allows the self-cultivation of 6 plants is also in place.

If all goes as planned, Thai citizens who are patients of cancer and various other diseases and disorders could start taking the country's first legal doses of medical cannabis within days. A Government Pharmaceutical Organization delivered its first batch of cannabis oil to the Ministry of Health last week, eight months after medical cannabis was approved in that country. Thailand became, in early 2019, the first country to legalize cannabis as a medicine in Southeast Asia, a region known for its tough drug laws.

The 5-milliliter bottles are being distributed to 12 hospitals across the country which, in turn, will dispense them to the first 4.000 registered patients. Somsak Akkslip, director general of the Department of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health, said these hospitals could start prescribing the drug.

Cannabis for medical use only

Despite the recent launch of medical cannabis oil, Anutin has been backtracking from his campaign promises since taking office, said Chokwan Kitty Chopaka of the Highland Network, a local group in favor of legalizing recreational use. “I don't see recreational cannabis being legalized in the near future,” Chokwan said.

Somsak agreed that there was little appetite for legalizing recreational use among members of the new government, dominated by former generals and Palang Pracharath's pro-military party. The typically conservative Democratic party, another major player in the governing coalition, has taken a strong stance against recreational consumption. Convincing them to let families grow their own cannabis plants for sale in the medical market will be tricky, he added, and will only happen if the pilot project with health and hemp volunteers is successful.

“If we can do this with quality, and if the Thai population has a high discipline, we can grow it, I mean, people can grow it at home,” Somsak said. “But this takes some time.”

Still, the director of health services was optimistic about the future of the Thai medical cannabis industry. “Cannabis can be grown in Thailand very easily, and I think our climate is very good for growing cannabis, so I think there is huge potential very high,” said Somsak Akkslip. Chokwan and Somsak say it will likely take at least three years before Thailand is ready to export its product in terms of quantity and quality. 

Bryan Arkaporn doubts the government's ability 

Laboratory where the Thai government will grow cannabis for medicinal purposes

The 21-year-old executive discovered he had epilepsy five years ago after collapsing during his first seizure on a train ride in Japan. He currently takes pills every day to keep his seizures under control, but he also grows his own cannabis for extra help and occasionally buys cannabis oil from a friend who produces it.

He expects government cannabis oil to be cheaper than the pills he takes, at just over €5 a day, and to be better for the liver in the long run. But videos the government posted online of its greenhouses and lab work left him uninspired. “If I know someone who makes better preparations, I might choose to go black market,” he said.