In Thailand, an amendment will allow traditional doctors to prescribe medical cannabis

The new Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul, announced a legislative amendment that will allow traditional Thai doctors to prescribe cannabis for medical use.

«The amendment to the regulation will remove the technical barriers that delay patients» access to cannabis treatment. “We don’t want to see thousands of patients waiting in vain or dying because the law poses a technical problem,” said Rossana Tosittrakul, a former senator and representative of the network of advocacy groups for medical cannabis treatment.

She would like to see the ministerial regulations revised so that 3,000 practitioners can continue their work without being harassed by the police. In fact, without an amendment, these traditional practitioners will not be allowed to use cannabis because the 2018 Narcotics Act authorizes only professionals—such as doctors, pharmacists, and dentists—to prescribe cannabis to their patients. Until now, only certified practitioners of traditional Thai medicine—who hold a license and are recognized by the Association of Traditional Thai Healthcare Professions—have been authorized to write prescriptions for cannabis for their patients.

3,000 practitioners will therefore receive a five-year certificate from the Department of Traditional and Alternative Thai Medicine (DTTAM), allowing them to treat their patients. However, they will not be considered professionals under the law. If they wish to obtain this status, they will have to complete administrative procedures (which normally take one year) to obtain approval from the Ministry of Public Health.

This will also apply to activist Decha Siripat, president of the Khaokwan Foundation, an advocacy group for sustainable agriculture. He had begun giving his own version of cannabis oil to patients for free three years ago. He firmly believes he has a moral obligation to distribute cannabis oil to patients for the treatment of certain conditions, such as osteoarthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and epilepsy. Decha also emphasized that all traditional doctors should be allowed to prescribe cannabis-based medicines.

Work on the amendments to the law will begin next week and will be completed in August so that Mr. Anutin can sign them.

Thailand has legalized medical cannabis last December, and the country announced the start of domestic production in January 2019.