Thai health ministry receives cannabis oil for medical use

By Associated Press

Thailand’s health ministry received its first batch of legal medical marijuana Wednesday to be distributed in state-run hospitals.

The bottles of extracted cannabis oil will be distributed to 12 hospitals and administered to qualified patients including those who are part of a research program and those undergoing chemotherapy.

Thailand’s legislature agreed to amend the country’s drug law last year to allow the licensed medical use of marijuana, as well as kratom, a locally grown plant traditionally used as a stimulant and painkiller.

Anutin said he believes marijuana should be classified as medicine because it can relieve seizures and Parkinson’s disease and side effects from chemotherapy.

Extracted cannabis oil produced by the Thai government has three variations, one with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one with cannabidiol (CBD), and another with both components. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization said its products contain safe levels of the chemical components derived from marijuana plants.