A bill is currently pending with the National Legislative Assembly in Thailand and would make Thailand the first Asian country to legalize medical marijuana. This is a huge step for the cannabis industry in the continent since there are strong drug trafficking laws throughout Asia.
In Singapore and Malaysia drug trafficking has carried the death penalty, while South Korea has prohibited its citizens from consuming cannabis abroad in jurisdictions where the plant is legal.
The public health committee chair of Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly, Jet Sirathraanon, stressed that cannabis would be legal “for medication only, not for recreation.” He also added that legalizing marijuana could bring an economic boom for the country and “an opportunity for Thai people.”
According to an analysis published in 2017 by Grand View Research, the global medical cannabis industry is expected to reach $55.8 billion by 2025.
Dr. Somyot Kittimunkong is a physician who has been advocating for the medical cannabis law for several years. He spoke with Vice and they reported that there are already many Thai people using marijuana for medical purposes.
“I’ve seen it a lot,” said Kittimunkong. “I’ve seen doctors, a judge, and even high-level [government] ministers use cannabis oil to treat cancer. It’s soldiers, police, and many, many more. I think in every occupation you can imagine, you’ll find people using cannabis oil in Thailand as a treatment of their cancer.”
Kittimunkong also said that medical cannabis legalization is currently gaining support from the country’s leaders, who apparently began recognizing the economic potential of legal marijuana for the country.
Marijuana history in Thailand goes way back to a time when cannabis was once classified as a traditional herb medicine in the country. In 1979, the drug was scheduled as a narcotic under the Narcotic Drugs Act, prohibiting the production, sales, and possession of marijuana.
Kitty Chopaka, the chief marketing officer for the pro-legalization group the Highland Network, said that “Marijuana has always been a part of Thailand’s culture”
Marijuana has always been a part of Thailand’s culture…For centuries, farmers would go out to the field, they would use kratom, by chewing the kratom leaves. Then they’d go home and smoke a bong. They’d smoke so that they could eat, relax, and then go to sleep. And then do the same thing all over again.
Kitty Chopaka, CMO of Highland Network
The executive managing director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization and part of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Nopporn Cheanklin, has long been lobbying the military government for the approval of medical cannabis research and development in Thailand.
“The best strains of cannabis in the world 20 years ago were from Thailand, and now Canada has developed this strain until up to this day, we can’t claim that ours is the best in the world anymore,” Cheanklin said. “That’s why we must develop our strain to be able to compete with theirs.”
The Asia regional director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, Gloria Lai, said that the legalizing medical cannabis in Thailand could stimulate similar action throughout Asia. This would help to change what an entire region feels about marijuana.
“It is a positive shift from policy-making based on morality and ideology to being based on evidence,” said Lai. “It is likely that some other countries will follow suit, as there has been some consideration for permitting medical use of cannabis in South Korea, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines already.”
It seems that medical cannabis may be at the point of reaching a global wave of legalization.
With 19 states currently selling recreational cannabis, it may be tempting to forgo a medical card, even if you qualify as a patient. While recreational marijuana is accessible in many states for those of age, there are still some benefits to having a medical marijuana card and purchasing medical marijuana instead of recreational pot. For…
A type of arthritis known as ‘gout’ is common, complex, and can affect anyone. Patients who suffer from gout are plagued by sudden and severe spikes of pain, swelling, and more. This condition affects certain joints but is often the joint at the base of the big toe. Gout is triggered by arthropathy which is…
In 1970 cannabis was federally placed as a Schedule I drug in the US, a category that is tightly restricted and reserved for drugs not medically accepted. When it comes to classifying drugs medically or recreationally, generally there are four broad categories according to the US federal government. Based on their properties and effects, a…
A New Mexico judge has instructed the state’s Department of Health (DOH) and the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD) to halt the enforcement of stringent medical cannabis purchase limits. The previously imposed limits were included in an older version of the state’s cannabis law. Based on the judge’s demand, New Mexico’s medical cannabis purchase limits…
With the increase in cannabis legalization came an increased interest in cannabis edibles—which have quite a reputation. Edibles have come to be known as a different kind of cannabis experience in which the effects take a while to kick in but last for several hours. While brownies are famous as the most traditional form of…
Ahh…fall is here! The leaves are starting to turn beautiful jewel tones, the air is getting crisp, and I’m looking forward to…
Veriheal does not support illegally consuming alternative therapeutic substances but acknowledges that it transpires because of the current illicit status, which we…
An Idaho-based hemp business called Hempitecture has caught the eye of the U.S. federal government. While the notoriously anti-cannabis state has tried…
