Plan for medical marijuana farm in Bangkok unveiled

By The Nation

 

 

THE Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) has announced it is taking a key role in Thailand’s plan to use marijuana for medical purposes.

 

“We will be in charge of growing and improving marijuana,” GPO chairman Dr Sopon Mekthon said yesterday. “We will also handle the analysis and synthesis of marijuana.” 

 

He was speaking after attending a meeting with the committee reviewing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. 

 

Some countries have legalised marijuana for medical use, including for people suffering neurological conditions, terminal cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. 

 

Sopon said that four committees were set up at yesterday’s meeting to push ahead with the plan. 

 

In Thailand, marijuana is still categorised as a dangerous narcotic, making it necessary to amend laws before the plant could be used as a medicine.

 

“The Office of Narcotics Control Board has assured us that it will propose amendments to the law so that we can go ahead with the plan,” Sopon said. “The proposal should reach the Cabinet next week.” 

 

According to Sopon, the GPO has planned to develop a closed-system marijuana farm of 1,100 square metres at its headquarters in Bangkok’s Rama VI area. 

 

“We will need a starting budget of between Bt10 million and Bt20 million as we will also have to buy a machine to get useful extracts from marijuana,” he said. 

 

Assistant Professor Vichien Keeratinijaka, a lecturer at Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Agriculture, said that initially Thailand might need to import marijuana from Canada for studies. 

 

“We will need to adjust the species to ensure it can grow successfully in our local environment,” he said. “We may also set up a team to explore local marijuana strains. We have reports that they are found in various northeastern provinces, including Sakon Nakhon,” he said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30345081

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-11

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand’s plan to use marijuana

replace all the tobacco growing with mj growing,  which in many places preceded tobacco growing; tobacco growing has horrid chemical side effects to growers

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand might need to import marijuana from Canada for studies. 

I was thinking back about 40 years ago. If someone had said here is Thai weed or Canadian weed, I would have laughed. Everyone knows that pot doesn't come from Canada.

 

Funny how things change...

Farangs to tender the crop will produce high quality THC,

 

next headline...''200mill medical marijuana budget missing''...

Edited May 10, 20188 yr by mok199
speliings

19 minutes ago, missoura said:

Thailand might need to import marijuana from Canada for studies. 

What studies? all the studies in the world already been done by people and institutions bigger, smarter and much more equipt that Thailand will ever be, no need for another years wasted on ' studies' just grow the weeds and give it sick people who needs in now...

next headline ''increased sales in Doritos ''

 

23 minutes ago, mok199 said:

next headline...''200mill medical marijuana budget missing''...

or "Medical Marijuana staff spent half the budget on pizzas" ....

 

23 minutes ago, mok199 said:

next headline...''200mill medical marijuana budget missing''...

probably went up in smoke?? 

I can already see some political and senior bureaucrat eyes twinkling at the prospect of some ill gotten gains from any future development. Knowing how the Thai administrators love to get ahead of themselves it would come as no surprise if discussions were already being held as to how the split from this golden goose would be divided up. 

1 minute ago, Cadbury said:

I can already see some political and senior bureaucrat eyes twinkling at the prospect of some ill gotten gains from any future development. Knowing how the Thai administrators love to get ahead of themselves it would come as no surprise if discussions were already being held as to how the split from this golden goose would be divided up. 

No matter how fruitful legalising weed might be, taking away BIB tea money is definitely not on the menu, and being as they and other boys in brown and green are running things, I'm not holding my breath.

 

Just now, geronimo said:

No matter how fruitful legalising weed might be, taking away BIB tea money is definitely not on the menu, and being as they and other boys in brown and green are running things, I'm not holding my breath.

 

There is no suggestion the weed will be legalised. This weed is of course for "medicinal" purposes only. However there is no saying "non-medicinal" weed will not be grown undercover of the medicinal stuff. The BIB could administer that part of the crop.

Nothing could possibly go wrong said Mr Highkite.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

We have reports that they are found in various northeastern provinces,

You don't say

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“We will need to adjust the species to ensure it can grow successfully in our local environment,” he said. “We may also set up a team to explore local marijuana strains. We have reports that they are found in various northeastern provinces, including Sakon Nakhon,” he said. 

There where lots of successfully grown Thai sticks on the streets in Europe when I was a teenager.

No need to set up a team and waste money, just ask the local growers.

Forget your reports, just consult the local dealers.

I was making small talk with a girl in my condo. She saw I had a bottle of red wine in my shopping bag. She told me she doesn't drink much 'cos she gets drunk easily. She said she wishes she could have a couple of drinks like most people and not feel drunk and sick. I told her that maybe weed might be more her thing. She looked at me in horror and asked, "You smoke weed!?". I told her that I don't, but that's just because I'm a red wine guy and I wouldn't even know where to get it. She kindly informed me that weed is 'drugs' and drugs are bad. That annoyed me, so I asked why is it bad? She said it's drugs and drugs are bad. I asked again "why is it bad?" She couldn't explain why. She actually didn't know anything about weed except that it's a drug. She got annoyed as she couldn't explain why and had then conjured up this image of me being a drug addict. And this attitude, ladies and gentleman, is one of the reasons why weed is still illegal in so many places.

 

 

 

 

The most amusing, and simultaneously tragic, aspect of this story is that neither those quoted in the op nor those commenting on the thread have even the slightest clue what they are talking about.

 

To talk about finding a strain suitable to the environment is laughable in a medical marijuana context, as the grower creates and controls the environment specific to each strain.

 

The knowlege and technology is there, it just needs to be implemented. I poersonally know of a number of university students who are doing quite well producing quality product,, but rather than seek out these indiciduals, rhe government will likely engage some untalented neophyte to reinvent the wheel.

 

As for the munchies and pizza jokes, sigh.

 

Finally, allusions to Thai stick and local strains may have been relavent in the 70s and early 80s, but certainly dont hold a candle to the quality product available today.

 

I grew up amongst growers through my university years and now many of those criminals are very successful legitimate businessmen yet oddly havent changed their trade.

Edited May 11, 20188 yr by HooHaa

Interesting stuff medicinal marijuana. 

Perhaps the many of the terminally unhappy can get some respite

im personally wondering what kind of extravagant machine is needed to process the mj.... 

3 minutes ago, zzidenn said:

im personally wondering what kind of extravagant machine is needed to process the mj.... 

https://www.edenlabs.com/extraction-equipment/co2

 

This is one example. Co2 extraction systems for extraction thc and cbd oils. 

 

You need another machine if you want to seperate those.

''Is Dave their man''..''no man dave's not home''...

I noticed a link on MSN to an interesting article about medical marijuana earlier this morning. http://ushealthmagz.com/2018/05/04/cancer-institute-finally-admits-marijuana-kills-cancer/ 

You couldn't make this up. "...we will also have to buy a machine..."...

4 hours ago, mok199 said:

next headline...''200mill medical marijuana budget missing''...

Nah!! Just gone up in smoke!!!

 

   

1 hour ago, mok199 said:

''Is Dave their man''..''no man dave's not home''...

....'' Khun Dave you mai??''...''no man khun Dave mai you''

Who bought a brain to take such a smart decision ?

 

 

23 hours ago, mok199 said:

next headline ''increased sales in Doritos ''

Pringles out of stock until further notice... 

How much for a prescription, the usual 100b? Gotta get me bong ready.

On 5/11/2018 at 7:20 AM, geronimo said:

No matter how fruitful legalising weed might be, taking away BIB tea money is definitely not on the menu, and being as they and other boys in brown and green are running things, I'm not holding my breath.

 

Until they realise how much money can be made legally and choose to legalise weed and give out licenses to themselves to grow and sell it.