Cannabis patent applications from foreigners raise fears of monopoly

[webfact]

Cannabis patent applications from foreigners raise fears of monopoly

By The Nation

 

A Thai man with a marijuana tattoo on his face smokes and looks on during a protest held to show opposition to the patent for marijuana extracts, outside the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, 20 November 2018. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

 

ALL APPLICANTS for cannabis-related patents in the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) are foreigners, raising suspicion that the rush to legalise marijuana may have been designed to grant monopoly to certain groups.

 

 

“Will the move pave the way for monopolies?” Panthep Phuaphongphan, dean of Rangsit University’s Institute of Integrative Medicine and Anti-Ageing, asked yesterday.

 

According to him, Thais are still not allowed to conduct research on marijuana-based medicines, but some foreigners have already filed applications seeking patents. 

 

However, the number of applications submitted varies as different sources base their estimates on the number of applications they believe have been rejected. 

 

So far, the number of total applications submitted lies between 11 and 13, and some of them have already been rejected. 

“If the Intellectual Property Department does not throw out all these applications now, we will consider taking legal action against it,” Panthep said.

 

Allow cannabis in traditional medicine 

 

Meanwhile, BIOTHAI Foundation’s director Witoon Lianchamroon also claimed to have received reports that the department was planning to approve two applications. 

 

“This might go against the law. According to law, a patent can only be granted to a new invention. It should be noted that traditional Thai medicine has long recognised marijuana’s medicinal properties,” he said.

 

Panthep emphasised that if the draft law legalising the medical use of marijuana sails through, then relevant authorities should ensure that cannabis can also be used in Thai traditional medicine. 

 

 

In recent months, several authorities have been pushing hard for the legalisation of medical marijuana. At one point, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister ACM Prajin Juntong even considered the possibility of Article 44 being invoked as a means to allow the medical use of cannabis. 

 

With much lobbying, the bill to legalise medical marijuana has already gone to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) now. 

 

“We will start deliberating the bill on Friday,” NLA member Somchai Swangkarn said, adding that he expected the deliberation to take 60 days. 

 

However, the NLA is not ignoring concerns over cannabis-related patents, and summoned an IPD representative to testify yesterday. 

 

Direk Boontae, IPD’s deputy director-general, said patent applications could be revoked if the requests are deemed as illegitimate. 

 

“Some applications were submitted to us since 2004, but we never approved any cannabis-related patents,” he insisted. 

Meanwhile, Somchai said the department has already rejected several applications. 

 

“There are just seven cannabis-related applications pending as of now,” he said.

 

Marijuana is believed to have medical benefits for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, seizures, alleviating pain and promoting appetite. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30358979

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-11-21

[Justgrazing]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

However, the number of applications submitted varies as different sources base their estimates on the number of applications they believe have been rejected. 

 

So far, the number of total applications submitted lies between 11 and 13,

12 quite possibly .?

 

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

and promoting appetite. 

That'll be the " 3 am hope the garage shop is open or its cereal without milk " munchies then .. 

Edited November 20, 2018 by Justgrazing
Sp

[Samui Bodoh]

Those pesky, pesky foreigners...

 

Stealing Thai jobs, stealing Thai money, stealing Thai women...

 

Sometimes I think all of Thailand needs a few tokes and a hug...

 

 

[Justgrazing]

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

We will start deliberating the bill on Friday,” NLA member Somchai Swangkarn said, adding that he expected the deliberation to take 60 days. 

60 days .! Are they smoking the stuff as well .. That bong must be well loaded to drag it out for 2 mths .. 

[bendejo]

Oregon was among the first US states to legalize medical mj years ago.  I think it was only for recovering from chemotherapy and glaucoma at first.  Eventually they figured out the cost of getting the patient permit, collected by the state gov't, was fetching big bucks, so they opened it up to more maladies.  As of 2012 it cost $400 to get in the program: $200 for the doctor and the paperwork processing, another $200 for the gov't permit.  I think before they went full-on legal a few years ago the mmj permits issued per year numbered a few hundred thousand, multiply that by 200 and, well it certainly got other states thinking about it.

Congrats to Massachusetts for beginning recreational sales the other day.

 

But. alas, TiT and there will always be a little bit of pocket stuffing required of the farang: the doctor, the clerk issuing the permit, and the policeman who finds you out by smelling it and finds a minor discrepancy in your paperwork.  And then there are the vendors and the question of quality.

1975: anyone remember the Thai Song Greet?  (been torn down since)

The place was a dump but made livable by the kick-ass Thai stick sold by a lady fortune teller nearby.

 

 

[stanleycoin]

Are they trying to blame us already.

Oh well,  situation normal then !!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Carry on Thailand 

[mok199]

Suspicions of corruption in the new Thai Drug trade ....IMPOSSIBLE

[Darcula]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

According to him, Thais are still not allowed to conduct research on marijuana-based medicines, but some foreigners have already filed applications seeking patents. 

Maybe Thais could apply for ya baa patents. They've been researching that one for decades.

[quandow]

I read not too long ago of a Bayer/Monsanto effort to corner the market on marijuana. I'm SURE they're pushing hard around the globe to secure more than their fair share of the market using the usual strong arm, dirty tactics.

[Emster23]

Uh, I am going out on a limb here, but perhaps big pharma and/or tobacco already have international patents on cannabis extract variations covered?

bendejo presents some interesting info (I'm from Oregon, quit smoking pot 30+ years ago). Lots of tax money coming in + cut waste of enforcement. Society still functioning just fine. Went to HS 50 yr reunion in Sept. Old buddy hadn't seen who'd become state police officer (retired) out smoking a joint on veranda... surprised, but then thought "hey, legal, he's retired". How times change.

Also in mid 70's recall some freighter caught by coast guard off Oregon coast with several tons of Thai stick. We didn't weep, but it was sad. Oh, last fun fact: UofO biz school did study of cash crops in Oregon in '80's. Pot growing (illegal) topped timber or wheat.

[Easy Come Easy Go]

16 minutes ago, quandow said:

I read not too long ago of a Bayer/Monsanto effort to corner the market on marijuana. 

This is what I've feared for a while now, it isn't good 

[lvr181]

4 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Sometimes I think all of Thailand needs a few tokes

I think too many already have done that......  

[Estrada]

I personally know well connected Thais who are producing Medical marijuana in California, who are behind the change in Thai law and wish to protect their monopoly.

[lvr181]

4 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Sometimes I think all of Thailand needs a few tokes and a hug...

Or tug? ???? 

[lvr181]

1 minute ago, Estrada said:

I personally know well connected Thais who are producing Medical marijuana in California, who are behind the change in Thai law and wish to protect their monopoly.

Now we can say "pesky Thai foreigners"? 

[8OA8]

Pesky foreigners enjoying a Monopoly in Thailand? Surely the monopolies are reserved for Thais. Take Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, just the name reminds me of the work of the UK Monopolies and Mergers Comission trying to stamp out such things as are permitted within such fields in Thailand.

Grab doesn't face any anti-competition punishment for the merging of Uber in Thailand, but in Singapore they were fined a substantial amount. 

[Lupatria]

We don't need foreign monopoly here, we have CP!

[lvr181]

9 minutes ago, 8OA8 said:

Pesky foreigners enjoying a Monopoly in Thailand? Surely the monopolies are reserved for Thais. Take Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, just the name reminds me of the work of the UK Monopolies and Mergers Comission trying to stamp out such things as are permitted within such fields in Thailand.

Grab doesn't face any anti-competition punishment for the merging of Uber in Thailand, but in Singapore they were fined a substantial amount. 

Please don't quote Singapore as a comparison - they are 550 years ahead of the Kingdom! 

 

Put in a different context: Singapore has achieved more in 50 years than the Kingdom has done in 600 years.

[KKr]

from a business point of view the desire to protect research efforts is understandable , however to register a patent, there must be a technological innovation.

As someone already mentioned, patents have been granted elsewhere, since 1942 believe it or not.
 
Read for example this: https://www.forbes.com/sites/julieweed/2017/07/24/us-patent-office-issuing-cannabis-patents-to-a-growing-market/#620ebe9768d4, 
or google "cannabis patents"

[stanleycoin]

45 minutes ago, Estrada said:

I personally know well connected Thais who are producing Medical marijuana in California, who are behind the change in Thai law and wish to protect their monopoly.

I think very few Thai's are well connected.

Most have, Loose screws, missing nuts and bolts, plus a large void space

with the two small inspection covers missing.  

 

 

Edited November 21, 2018 by stanleycoin

[Katipo]

7/11's will shortly see an upswing in the sale of toasted cheese sandwiches I imagine ????

[ZeVonderBearz]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

So far, the number of total applications submitted lies between 11 and 13

The number you're looking for is 12. 

[car720]

give us all a shot of LSD at birth and let the world boogey.

[alex8912]

Meanwhile in Massachusetts the first two marijuana shops ( among a string of more to open soon)  selling legal weed, edibles and concentrates and collecting millions and millions and millions of $$$ or hundreds and hundreds of millions of baht have opened yesterday and each city and of course the state will have cuts of this through taxing. Thailand doesn’t need these funds I guess because this will probably happen way after the elections never  happen here. 

[alex8912]

35 minutes ago, Katipo said:

7/11's will shortly see an upswing in the sale of toasted cheese sandwiches I imagine ????

Lol so did you hear about the grilled cheese sandwich food truck  parked outside the first pot shop in Massachusetts that opened yesterday?? It was a big hit for some reason. I mean the opportunities are endless. 

Edited November 21, 2018 by alex8912

[CALSinCM]

See what happens when you get all hung up with moralizing about the use of marijuana?  Those who aren't hung up on moralizing end up beating you to the market and take what could have been your market share!
So as legislators, academics, and the power drunk (who really don't want the average person to have access to any plant which may make them feel good or expand the consciousness) dilly-dally, moralize, and try to figure ways to benefit financially from the medical use of marijuana without letting the end-user experience any pleasure - well, craftier minds and with greater greed will find ways to take over the legal market share of the marijuana industry to the point where Thai marijuana, no matter how good the quality, will essentially become irrelevant.

I believe the phrases that apply are:
"You snooze, you lose", and "You may have just missed the boat!", and "He who get's into the oven first gets the biggest piece of the pie."  
"

[DLock]

1 hour ago, Estrada said:

I personally know well connected Thais who are producing Medical marijuana in California, who are behind the change in Thai law and wish to protect their monopoly.

This is nothing to do with "producers"...this is much, much bigger than some 2-bit grower in California satisfying US demand....if true.

 

They have no monopoly to protect in Thailand.

[Krataiboy]

2 hours ago, quandow said:

I read not too long ago of a Bayer/Monsanto effort to corner the market on marijuana. I'm SURE they're pushing hard around the globe to secure more than their fair share of the market using the usual strong arm, dirty tactics.

Their aim is to control the world's seed supply and force farmers to use only their suspect genetically-modified brands at exorbitant prices.

 

Good for Thailand if they say "No".

Edited November 21, 2018 by Krataiboy

[SABloke]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

According to him, Thais are still not allowed to conduct research on marijuana-based medicines, but some foreigners have already filed applications seeking patents.

Let's deal with FACTS shall we: Foreigners aren't allowed to conduct research either. ????

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

According to him, Thais are still not allowed to conduct research on marijuana-based medicines, but some foreigners have already filed applications seeking patents. 

 

So what? There is nothing stopping Thais from seeking patents. Like the foreign applicants, they may be rejected.

 

At the end of the day, this is just xenophobic nonsense. I see no way in which 13 foreign applicants for patents have any more risk of leading to a monopoly than 13 Thai ones would. ????

[johnarth]

As always greed and corruption comes first the drug companies even though they have spent millions over the years to stop this, they will now spend billions to try to corner the market