One month after the legalization of medical cannabis, Thailand prepares to launch production

Thailand celebrated the New Year by legalizing medical cannabis. No sooner said than done, she's already getting ready to begin production of the plant with the hope of producing and testing its first cannabis oils on patients as early as this spring.

A First Production Project

The Thai Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), the government agency responsible for implementing Thailand’s medical cannabis program, has announced its intention to begin planting cannabis next month so that it can extract oil from it and begin using it as early as May or June. To do so, the GPO must obtain permission from the health authorities (FDA) and the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) as soon as possible.

The at a press conference During a session dedicated to the upcoming year's program, Dr. Witoon Danwiboon, the agency's director, announced a 100-square-meter renovation project at the production center Rangsit Pharmaceutical Production Plant in Pathumthani Province for the cultivation of medical cannabis. As for extraction, the agency plans to use 1,000 m² on the top floor of its pharmaceutical chemicals department, located in the same region.

The Future of Medical Cannabis in Thailand

For now, Thailand plans to plant Canadian varieties but it invests heavily in the cultivation, selection, and genetic improvement of Thai varieties. The budget allocated for this activity is 120 million baht, or more than 3 million euros. Furthermore, plant patenting practices are currently the subject of controversy in Thailand. Civil society fears that the industry will be monopolized by foreign companies under the guise of intellectual property rights over the genetics of certain plants. The fact that the Thai government is developing its own varieties is also a way to avoid becoming dependent on the Canadian industry for its production.

Once production begins and the first Thai strains are secured, the government will consider exporting them—the economic benefits of producing and exporting Thai cannabis were a major argument in favor of legalization. For now, the GPO is conducting an initial trial, but the agency hopes to begin large-scale industrial production as early as next year. At the sites in question, it estimates it can produce 800 kg of flowers and 10,000 to 20,000 5-milliliter vials of cannabis oil per year. It also plans to expand production to another province, Chonburi. For now, there has been no discussion yet regarding the granting of production licenses to private companies.