Will Thailand’s legal medical marijuana seed a new black market?
- Unclear licensing rules have given rise to fears foreign firms might apply for patents and squeeze out local players
- Then there are concerns the public might think anyone is allowed to smoke or grow cannabis
Thailand’s decision to legalise marijuana for medical purposes has raised concerns over deliberate exploitation of the new law and warnings to the public not to forget that general use of the drug is still very much illegal.
Last Tuesday, Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly passed a bill allowing the use of cannabis and kratom, a local plant with opioid properties native to Southeast Asia. It grants use for several purposes, including patient treatment, growing for export and sale, research and other science and industry activities.
Those professionals will need to be licensed by the Food and Drug Administration. And all licences – including those for production, import, export and sale of the plant – will be regulated by a government committee.
But further information on the requirements to obtain these licences remain unclear, said Niyada Kiatying-Angsulee, manager of the Drug System Monitoring and Development Centre.