The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that Thailand should include medicines with cannabis ingredients into a drug list of universal healthcare package and social security system to ensure safer and cheap access to medical treatment.
"Imagine the benefit people will get if cannabis is on the drug list of the universal healthcare package and social security system? It would mean that every person could use safer cannabis-based drugs. Plant-based drugs on the universal healthcare and state welfare list are safer because they must have guarantees that the ingredients come from standardised harvesting and are free from heavy metal contamination, said FDA secretary-general, Tares Krassanairawiwong, during a seminar on cannabis yesterday.
The seminar, called "Look Around Cannabis", was organised by the Judicial Training Institute's 23rd class for Advanced Judicial Training Management Curriculum and touched on the plus and minus points of legalisation.
Mr Tares did not spell out when the Public Health Ministry would enlist marijuana-based medicines on the universal healthcare package and social security system lists.
Despite the high potential of cannabis for medical treatment, the head of the FDA insisted that society should think twice about adopting full-scale cannabis liberalisation.
"A well-rounded study and debates on the pros and cons should be made so that we can select the benefit with the least impact on our children and culture," he said.
In terms of the economic benefit to farmers, it is better to promote planting hemp, said Mr Tares.
Similar to cannabis, part of hemp can be sold for various purposes -- fibres for textiles, seeds for vitamins and cosmetics. Hemp can also be used for medical treatment as it is rich with high-levels of CBD (Cannabidiol), which can ward off diseases such as seizures.
Full-scale marijuana liberalisation means that people can harvest and smoke weed at home for recreational purposes.
Currently, marijuana trading can lead to a 15-year jail term and up to a 1.5-million baht fine. Those who consume marijuana for recreation can be jailed up to one year and/or pay a fine up to 20,000 baht. Thailand has classified cannabis as a narcotic since 1979.
The cannabis issue has grown in Thailand after the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) late last year, revised the Narcotic Act, which resulted in the legalisation of marijuana for medical purposes.
The government is facing calls from the public, non-government organisations, traditional medicine practitioners and pro-cannabis policy markers including politicians from the Bhumjaithai Party, to fully liberalise marijuana, so that people can plant it at home and make money from selling it.
Somchai Sawangkan, a member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), warned that full-scale liberalisation will have social impacts.