Thailand: the government wants to authorize the private cultivation of medical cannabis

On Tuesday, the Thai government approved a proposal from the Ministry of Health to allow healthcare professionals, farmers, and patients to cultivate, produce, and export medical cannabis and its derivatives.

The Thailand legalized medical cannabis and kratom in 2018. Since then, it has greatly expanded access to medical cannabis while maintaining its sovereignty over the issue by entrusting cannabis production exclusively to local entities, which operate in part with local varieties. A new bill currently under consideration would, however, allow foreign companies to operate in Thailand, provided they have less than one-third of the company.

Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul said that Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had submitted a draft amendment to the Narcotics Act to expand access to medical cannabis in Thailand.

The proposed amendment would allow patients certified by doctors, as well as farmers and practitioners of traditional medicine, to obtain a license from the ministry to produce, import, export, distribute, and possess cannabis, she said.

 »[This] law will benefit our industry and boost its competitiveness, which will be important for Thailand as it becomes a leader in medical cannabis,» he also declared Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Under current law, only government agencies and those involved in the development of medical cannabis with the ministry’s authorization may engage in medical cannabis-related activities in collaboration with the government.

Thailand has removed cannabis extracts with low THC content from its list of controlled substances and opened medical cannabis clinics, while allowing all doctors, including traditional doctors, which have a strong presence in Thailand, to prescribe cannabis. Production currently remains below demand, which is why production has been opened up to other players.

The bill would also give the Ministry of Public Health the authority to use seized cannabis for medical purposes. The bill must still be sent to the Council of State for review and then to Parliament for a vote.