The Thai Cabinet amended the Narcotics Act on August 4, 2020: Thai patients and private companies are now authorized to cultivate, produce, and sell medical cannabis.
A complete overhaul of Thailand's cannabis laws over the past three years
This latest plan will lift the restrictions imposed when the country became the first in Southeast Asia to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana in 2017.
This also follows the opening in January of a medical cannabis clinic on the Ministry of Health’s premises, which provides cannabinoid-containing products free of charge to its patients. In addition, there are 147 licensed medical clinics in the country that are currently able to prescribe medical cannabis , also known as CBD.
The cultivation and distribution of medical cannabis are currently carried out exclusively by government agencies or strictly regulated organizations.
Developing Thai Agriculture and Tourism Through Cannabis
Thus, this new proposal will allow private medical operators (such as patients, farmers, businesses, and healthcare professionals) to cultivate and market the crop—including for export and import—as well as to develop CBD-based products within a regulated framework.
This decision expands on a key policy of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Anutin Charnvirakul, who has argued that the controlled legalization of cannabis, or CBD, would boost the wellness, travel, and agriculture sectors.
"Thailand is already a tourist destination for many foreigners, and medical cannabis will be another attraction for the country and for medical tourists," said Marut Jirasrattasiri, director-general of the Department of Traditional and Alternative Thai Medicine, in an interview.
Priority will be given to Thai investors
“We want to use Thai money for now, particularly through collaboration between the government and local communities to improve knowledge, research, and production,” Marut said. “We don’t want foreigners to come and invest, only to reap all the profits.”
The agriculture and tourism sectors are essential to the local economy. According to the Thai Rice Exporters Association, about one-third of Thais rely solely on rice for their livelihood. At the same time, the wellness tourism sector generated $12 billion in domestic spending in 2017, more than the combined totals for Indonesia and Malaysia, according to a report by the Global Wellness Institute.
"This will allow more patients to have access to medical cannabis for their ailments and raise awareness of this plant in Thailand," said Traisuree Taisaranakul, a government spokesperson, in a statement.
International Reach
“In the coming stages, Thais and foreigners will have the opportunity to be treated with Thai medical cannabis, but only after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed and travel restrictions have been lifted,” Marut said. “Cannabis has always been part of Thailand’s culture, and all foreign countries love it.”
Most of Thailand's 23 publicly traded healthcare providers—led by Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Pcl, Bumrungrad Hospital Pcl, and Samitivej Pcl— derive a significant portion of their revenue from foreign patients, particularly those from China, Myanmar, and the Middle East. Est.
