Thailand encourages farmers to grow medical cannabis

After widely opening its access, Thailand is now encouraging farmers in the country to develop another source of income: the cultivation of medical cannabis.

«Everyone has the right to grow medical marijuana »by partnering with provincial hospitals," said Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul, adding that interested individuals should also seek approval from authorities.

«To date, 2,500 households and 251 provincial hospitals have cultivated 15,000 cannabis plants,» she said. declared. «We hope that cannabis and hemp will be the main cash crops for farmers.»

Besides farmers, who can grow cannabis for medical purposes at home and sell it to local hospitals, cannabis cultivation licenses are available to universities, community businesses, healthcare professionals, and traditional medicine practitioners.

Thailand removed parts of cannabis and hemp last year from his list of narcotics. The country has legalized medical cannabis in late 2018, and has unfolded since the implementation of a very comprehensive medical cannabis program, prescribable by hospitals, «conventional» doctors and traditional doctors.

In parallel, the government has legalized end of January hemp production for all uses: commercial, medicinal, research, or cultural. Licensed individuals will be able to cultivate, use, and process all parts of the plant.

Export permits for hemp can also be requested, and seeds could also be imported within five years of the regulation's entry into force. In the meantime, the Thailand has worked on its own cannabis varieties, for industrial and medical purposes.