Thailand declares four cannabis strains national heritage

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Health of Thailand announced that the government will officially register four cannabis strains as National Heritage. The decision was taken with the aim of promoting research and development of the national industry based on the cannabis plant and its medicinal and industrial uses.

Anutin Charnvirakul, Minister of Health, told the Bangkok Post that this recognition “will generate economic benefits for the country, in addition to increasing the potential of farmers to compete in the global market, which will help reduce the trade deficit with other countries”.

Despite being in history as one of the most prohibitionist countries and with the heaviest penalties for cannabis users, the Thailand legalized medical cannabis in 2018 and, anticipating its therapeutic and economic potential, completely reversed its position. As of 2020, most of the plant has been removed from the list of controlled narcotics and local producers were encouraged to grow hemp and cannabis. THE self-cultivation up to a limit of six plants was also authorized.

Medical cannabis has been approved for hospital use and must be prescribed by both modern and traditional practitioners. Last February, a new regulation was approved, with which any person of legal age can request authorization to cultivate, use and produce derivatives of all parts of the plant with less than 0,2% THC.

The recognition of National Heritage announced by the Government will apply to four varieties with different concentrations of CBD and THC, some of them psychoactive. The cultivars (varieties) were named with the identifiers ST1, TT1, UUA1 and RD1. The health minister said that variety registrations are awaiting certification from the Department of Agriculture and the process is expected to end at the end of this month.

*******************************************************************************
Support Cannareporter and independent journalism! If you consider it important to have access to specialized information on cannabis or hemp in Portugal and in the rest of the world, consider becoming one of our patrons. You can contribute from just €3 / month or invest in advertising on our website, giving your brand visibility in more than 30 countries. See the counterparts at www.patreon.com/cannareporter or ask for more information via the email advertorial@cannareporter.eu. Thank you!