The Public Health Ministry on Wednesday started distributing to 22 state-run hospitals the first batch of about 5,000 bottles of "Daycha Oil", a popular cannabis extract oil, as part of a clinical trial of the medical properties of this formula.
Daycha Oil was developed by Daycha Siripatra, president of the Khaokwan Foundation, a sustainable agriculture advocacy group.
Three years ago, Mr Daycha started giving away his own specially formulated version of cannabis oil to patients, free of charge.
The trial distribution, which has already been approved by the ministry's ethical committee, will likely involve about 40,900 patients who are undergoing therapy using the oil, said Mr Daycha. However, to ensure ethical standards are met in this clinical trial, the ministry will have to ask each of the patients to give their consent, he said.
Mr Daycha is now a certified folk medicine practitioner and his formula is also certified by the ministry.
On Wednesday, he led a video conference between the ministry and the 22 hospitals that will take part in the approved clinical trial of Daycha Oil.
The oil is being prescribed to relieve pain, seizures, spasms and improve sleep quality, he said.
The data collection process for the trial is expected to take around nine months.