Thai govt pressed for new law on marijuana and kratom

[webfact]

Govt pressed for new law on marijuana and kratom

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

File photo: Katom

 

Experts, academics say current legislation coming in the way of medical use.
 

ACADEMICS and medical practitioners are pushing for swift legislative reform to legalise the medical use of marijuana and kratom, saying current laws are infringing on people’s rights.

 

Dr Niyada Kiatying-Angsulee, manager of the Drug System Monitoring and Development Centre, lamented that the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) was taking so much time amending the Narcotics Act as it applies to marijuana and kratom. 

 

Her centre and 13 other organisations last Friday asked the ruling junta, the National Council for Peace and Order, to issue an order hastening the amendment that would allow for the medical use of marijuana and kratom and research into developing medicines from them.

 

Niyada, who is also an assistant professor at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, noted that Thais have been using cannabis and kratom as herbal medicines for hundreds of years. There were at least 93 traditional recipes with cannabis as the main medicinal ingredient, she said.

 

“Modern medical science admits that cannabis and kratom can relieve chronic pain as |effectively as opioid painkillers and with less harmful side effects,” she said.

 

“There are at least three cannabinoid medicines that have already been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration – for curing nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, stimulating appetite in Aids patients, and curing neuropathic pain.”

 

Paisal Limstit of Thammasat University’s Faculty of Law concurred that extensive scientific research had established the medicinal benefits of marijuana and kratom. 

 

Many countries had already decriminalised the clinical use of both plants, he said. Thailand was lagging behind.

 

“In the Narcotics Act, marijuana and kratom are listed as Category V drugs, so any form of consumption of these herbs is |illegal,” Paisal said. 

 

“It also renders any medical research impossible, regardless of the fact that so many countries have liberalised marijuana and kratom use.”

He pointed out that the law’s sole purpose was to suppress drug use, without taking potential health benefits into consideration. It fails to recognise that all things have upsides and downsides.

 

Moreover, Paisal said, the penalties prescribed by the law are too harsh for simple possession and consumption of marijuana and kratom. 

It severely hurts people’s traditional ways of life, suppresses local wisdom about traditional cures and intensifies the prison-overcrowding problem.

 

“The Narcotics Act was drafted and first enforced in 1985, so we can see it’s not only out of date but also restricts people’s rights too much, especially considering the enormous benefits in healthcare that could come from medical cannabis and kratom,” Paisal said.

 

“We need the law reformed, and the most preferable option is to remove marijuana and kratom from Category V and create a new law to regulate their use, which would set out the specific control measures for clinical use.”

 

Paisal acknowledged there was a slim chance of legalising the herbs in the near future, so hopes were riding on revamping the Narcotics Act, which is currently under consideration by the NLA.

 

Assistant Professor Samlee Chaidee, also at Chulalongkorn’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said the authorities had to change their mindset about marijuana and kratom, especially given that they are indeed less harmful to health than alcohol and are even less addictive than coffee.

 

“There are many ailing Thais who still have no access to effective pain-killing medicine, and yet our country has the best-quality cannabis and kratom,” she said. “We should take the opportunity to further enhance our cannabis and kratom species, and develop medicines from these herbs and patent them before foreign pharmaceutical companies do.”

 

NLA whip Somchai Sawangkarn said the amended Narcotics Bill was in the |public-hearing stage and would be ready for first reading within 30 days.

 

Somchai said NLA president Pornpetch Wichitchonchai and many members of the assembly supported the bill, so he foresaw easy passage.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30355500

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-01

[Nice Boyd]

Well st least they are being Progressive...

[Ulic]

Send a fact-finding committee on a junket to Canada. Have one of the Cannabis companies in Canada that may want to get a foot in the door

fund the cost. 

Edited October 1, 2018 by Ulic

[DaiHard]

The first anti narcotic act was passed in the 1940s by the Japanese occupiers. It banned Kratom as it nullified the effects of methamphetamine which the Japanese developed and fed to their soldiers.

 

Cannabis can also stop epileptic fits, eases the effects of multiple schlerosis and there is evidence it stops cancer. This law has been held up by the public health ministry as they prefer big pharma drugs (bribes?). Watch out for who gets the monopoly. The word is that they want to keep the recreational ban in place as they don't want people to grow their own and not pay the new monopoly.

[sebastion]

Obviously someone pretty powerful in society is lobbying for this. Been in the news hell of a lot lately.
Tabacco monopoly?

It's only got to this stage because they are aware of the money it will bring.

Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk

[Nyezhov]

A fat doobie would sure help not only my aching knees but the squeechies right now.

[robblok]

Would be good if these drugs get a go not only for medical use but recreational use. Its how many countries have done so already, its the way of the future. 

 

I don't see it happening but at least things are changing. Pot heads in general are not dangerous. A lot less dangerous then those on alcohol anyway.

[fforest1]

38 minutes ago, sebastion said:

Obviously someone pretty powerful in society is lobbying for this. Been in the news hell of a lot lately.
Tabacco monopoly?

It's only got to this stage because they are aware of the money it will bring.

Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk
 

 

Well your partially right....The relaxing and legalization of marijuana is a world wide phenomenon....Who ever they are that are directing this they can dictate policy above any government....And any one with that much power you can be sure they already have more money than is imaginable so legalization has very little to do with money... 

 

Governments and police have been happily filling jails and making tons of money from asset forfeiture and payoffs for decades from illegal marijuana do you think they want to see this change? Heck-No .....  

Edited October 1, 2018 by fforest1

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, sebastion said:

It's only got to this stage because they are aware of the money it will bring.

 

+1

[Dogmatix]

We'll probably find that a certain pig and chicken, telecoms and convenience store conglomerate got the monopoly when the dust settles.

 

Are kratom leaves used medicinally anywhere?

[NaamGin]

1 hour ago, sebastion said:

Obviously someone pretty powerful in society is lobbying for this. Been in the news hell of a lot lately.
Tabacco monopoly?

It's only got to this stage because they are aware of the money it will bring.

Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk
 

 

Because it is a HUGE money maker. They see the estimates from the west on cannabis sales and tax revenues, and they want a piece of it. 

[Vacuum]

57 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

Who ever they are that are directing this they can dictate policy above any government....And any one with that much power you can be sure they already have more money than is imaginable so legalization has very little to do with money... 

 

The thing with people with more money than they can use in their lifetime is; they want more. It's a mental sickness that should be dealt with.

Edited October 1, 2018 by Vacuum

[fforest1]

39 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

 

+1

 

Really....

Explain to me why its about the money when we are talking about a plant that ANYBODY can grow in their house or backyard for FREE with minimal work...Its a weed it practically grows itself...
The government would be pretty stupid to legalize a plant like that......Its not about the money......

Its not about the money at all... 

Edited October 1, 2018 by fforest1

[Nyezhov]

A stoned world is a peaceful world.

[CLW]

 
Well your partially right....The relaxing and legalization of marijuana is a world wide phenomenon....Who ever they are that are directing this they can dictate policy above any government....And any one with that much power you can be sure they already have more money than is imaginable so legalization has very little to do with money... 
 
Governments and police have been happily filling jails and making tons of money from asset forfeiture and payoffs for decades from illegal marijuana do you think they want to see this change? Heck-No .....  

You are partly right, but don't forget the costs for the government running the prisons and it's overcrowding in Thailand.
Also there are the daily new of some nutter on yaba that kills or hurts someone while he's high.
I think this is the real problem this country should focus on not some harmless herbs.

[ChRa]

34 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

 

The thing with people with more money than they can use in their lifetime is; they want more. It's a mental sickness that should be dealt with.

a sickness that marijuana can cure in a couple of weeks ...

[connda]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Her centre and 13 other organisations last Friday asked the ruling junta, the National Council for Peace and Order, to issue an order hastening the amendment that would allow for the medical use of marijuana and kratom and research into developing medicines from them.

 

The junta would benefit two-fold: first, they could establish global market-share, and second, they'd probably get 'elected' into power by a landslide.

[CLW]

 
The junta would benefit two-fold: first, they could establish global market-share, and second, they'd probably get 'elected' into power by a landslide.

I don't think it will have an influence on the elections.
Most Thais that I have talked to seem not care much about the current legislation process.
Also other parties such as Future Forward have a same progressive drug policy in their plans.

[geronimo]

1 hour ago, Dogmatix said:

We'll probably find that a certain pig and chicken, telecoms and convenience store conglomerate got the monopoly when the dust settles.

 

Are kratom leaves used medicinally anywhere?

the ground up powder is sold in capsule form in the US. A billion dollar industry I heard

[Blue bruce]

Let the pot heads out of prison and reduce the over crowded jails.

[NaamGin]

1 hour ago, connda said:

 

The junta would benefit two-fold: first, they could establish global market-share, and second, they'd probably get 'elected' into power by a landslide.

 

The already have a historical, marketable name in "Thai Stick".  

I still remember it from the 70's.

Aside from the Colombian Red and Acapulco Gold, Thai Stick was some of the best back in the day. 

 

[sebastion]

 
Well your partially right....The relaxing and legalization of marijuana is a world wide phenomenon....Who ever they are that are directing this they can dictate policy above any government....And any one with that much power you can be sure they already have more money than is imaginable so legalization has very little to do with money... 
 
Governments and police have been happily filling jails and making tons of money from asset forfeiture and payoffs for decades from illegal marijuana do you think they want to see this change? Heck-No .....  

My point was that look at the speed this is being pushed through.
Nothing in Thailand has moved this fast.
Someone is pushing this through and it not about caring for patients.



Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk

[Nyezhov]

13 minutes ago, NaamGin said:

 

The already have a historical, marketable name in "Thai Stick".  

I still remember it from the 70's.

Aside from the Colombian Red and Acapulco Gold, Thai Stick was some of the best back in the day. 

 

When someone showed up at a party with primo Thai stick, they got all the girls.

 

Except me...Hey Moonbeam, Yezhov is here with some stick...Oh thats OK Sunshine, I promised Brad we would use my Jefferson Airplane album cover to clean the seeds out of some Mexican. Really?... Im there too. Sorry Yezhov, got to smoke by yourself.....

 

[Nyezhov]

8 minutes ago, sebastion said:

My point was that look at the speed this is being pushed through.
Nothing in Thailand has moved this fast.
Someone is pushing this through and it not about caring for patients.



Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk
 

Us patients dont care...Faster, Faster.....

[sebastion]

Us patients dont care...Faster, Faster.....

Oh yeah I'm with you. I'm not complaining.
I enjoy a puff and a good movie.

Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk

[DrTuner]

Thais need something to take the edge off from having to deal with usurpers running the country into the ground, weed does fit the bill.

[Nice Boyd]

5 hours ago, sebastion said:

Obviously someone pretty powerful in society is lobbying for this. Been in the news hell of a lot lately.
Tabacco monopoly?

It's only got to this stage because they are aware of the money it will bring.

Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk
 

And Taco Bell coming at the same time , Coincidence???

[Small Joke]

6 hours ago, sebastion said:

Obviously someone pretty powerful in society is lobbying for this. Been in the news hell of a lot lately.
Tabacco monopoly?

It's only got to this stage because they are aware of the money it will bring.

Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk
 

There are two sides to big tobacco  getting into the herb biz.

One assumes they would not make any money if they allow home grows.

The other understands by extension that hobby brewers do not bother the big beer boys one bit. 

Growing decent weed takes a degree of gardening nous. Time and dedication. The vast majority would prefer to just buy it. How many people do you know who brew and ONLY EVER drink their home brew?

Cannabis would be the same. Most people would just buy it at legit outlets. Poorly harvested grows can also develop moulds you simply do not want in your lungs.

Another good reason to buy a branded bud. 

[Nyezhov]

49 minutes ago, Nice Boyd said:

And Taco Bell coming at the same time , Coincidence???

I already posted that a while ago...whither goest Taco Bell, so followeth stoners!

[Nyezhov]

11 minutes ago, Small Joke said:

There are two sides to big tobacco  getting into the herb biz.

One assumes they would not make any money if they allow home grows.

The other understands by extension that hobby brewers do not bother the big beer boys one bit. 

Growing decent weed takes a degree of gardening nous. Time and dedication. The vast majority would prefer to just buy it. How many people do you know who brew and ONLY EVER drink their home brew?

Cannabis would be the same. Most people would just buy it at legit outlets. Poorly harvested grows can also develop moulds you simply do not want in your lungs.

Another good reason to buy a branded bud. 

Anybody can grow Skunk. But a fine Purple Haze OG? Priceless....