First in Southeast Asia, and the second country in Asia to legalize medical marijuana? Sound catchy, huh?
Israel is the first Asia country to do so since April this year as nearly two dozen Israeli pharmacies will start selling medical marijuana. But which Asian countries will be the second to do this? Thailand seemed to be in the lead.
Before, in Malaysia, the Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources Xavier Jayakumar stated in an interview (25/9) that the cabinet “very briefly” discussed the medicinal value of marijuana in a meeting last week and has started early and informal talks on amending the relevant laws. This conversation came up after public outrage over a death penalty handed to a 29-year-old man.
Also read: Malaysia in Talks to Allow Medical Marijuana, The First in Asia
However, Thailand has been talking about this months before. In 1980s, the country was among the world’s top exporter of cannabis. The plant was traditionally used to manage distress, nausea, and pain during childbirth, while farm workers grew it to relax. U.S. soldiers also visited the country during the Vietnam War and used it to rest and recuperate.
The legalization progress
This week, the Thai National Legislative Assembly (NLA), which has the power to draft the new regulation, said it is aiming to change the existing 1967 Drug Act and remove marijuana from the Category 5 Narcotics list.
In order to remove ganja from the list, they would need to collect 20 signatures from the members of the House of Representatives, Khaosod reported as cited in Coconuts Bangkok.
The government’s movement towards legalizing cannabis for medicinal purposes first started on January 6, when the Royal Gazette announced that some cultivation of hemp may be allowed in designated areas for medical research purposes, reported Bangkok Post.
Since then, three drafts of the proposal has been written. Although Dr. Jet Sirathraanon, the spokesman for the Extraordinary General Assembly of the NLA, said express his wariness about the bill won’t be passed during the current government’s tenure as the election is tentatively scheduled for February next year.
However, the junta could invoke the use of Section 44, which will allow PM Prayuth Chan-ocha to override any laws and regulations, in order to fast-track the legalization of medicinal cannabis.
Following that, the National Farmers Council and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau also announced their full support for medical marijuana cultivation and legalization since it would open up new business opportunities for the country’s many farmers.
In 8 months, or as soon as next May, the draft bill seeking to legalize medical marijuana was approved by the cabinet and forwarded to NLA, The Nation reported.
However, it's important to remember that all this is for legalization of marijuana for medicinal use. Recreational purpose will still be prohibited.
Already researching about medicinal use of marijuana
Thailand’s Governmental Pharmac-eutical Organisation (GPO) has begun researching how to develop medicines from marijuana in acknowledgement of evidence that the outlawed substance has health-enhancing properties.
GPO chairman Dr Sopon Mekthon yesterday (26/9) said that with the prospect of marijuana being legalized in certain circumstances, his organisation had begun working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Narcotics Suppression Bureau to launch a research project on developing and mass-producing medicines from marijuana.
“As a preparation for the decriminalisation of medical marijuana, GPO’s research team is now working on a research project to produce a medical cannabis extraction prototype in the form of a cannabis oil sublingual drop, which will be the initial ingredient for drugs production and can also be used as a substrate for further medicine development.”
The medical research and development on marijuana will be mainly in the GPO's head office in Bangkok.
It is estimated that the research team will better understand the quality, cannabinoid substances, and unique medicinal properties of marijuana through various regional sources. These breakthroughs will allow the GPO to assess the feasibility for upscaling the medicine development to clinical trial level and further plan for commercial production.
GPO managing director Dr Withoon Danwiboon revealed that if the outcome of the research indicated hopeful signs for medicine development and commercial production of new medical products, his organisation planned to expand production to an industrial scale.
Source: The Nations, Coconuts, Jerusalem Post, Chiangrai Times, Nextshark