Authorities defend raid on foundation accused of producing marijuana medicines

By The Nation

 

Decha Siriphat

 

THE OFFICE OF Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) yesterday defended the police action against noted agriculturalist Decha Siriphat and his colleague for allegedly illegally possessing marijuana, saying they would have faced negligence of duty charges if they failed to take legal action.

 

ONCB secretary-general Niyom Termsrisuk said the raid was based on widely circulated online reports that Decha’s foundation, based in Suphan Buri province, was distributing marijuana-based medicines via a temple in Phichit province. 

 

Niyom explained that the current narcotics law does not allow people to either possess or produce marijuana-based products unless they have been granted permission, adding that only medical practitioners are allowed to produce cannabis-laced medicines. The amnesty period for those possessing the plant or its products will end on May 19 under a recent legal amendment, but they must report to authorities and can only proceed with medical marijuana products if they have been given permission, Niyom said. 

 

Upon learning of the legal details, the authorities had no choice but to take legal action against Decha’s assistant, who was in the foundation’s premises at the time of the raid, he added. Niyom insisted that neither the foundation nor Decha have been charged.

 

Bhumjaithai Party and local activists on Sunday accused the authorities of raiding the foundation in order to aid international pharmaceutical giants. 

 

Suphan Buri police chief, Pol Maj-General Komsak Sumungkaset, said his police station had been contacted by the ONCB Region 6 to conduct a joint raid on Decha’s foundation. He said they seized plants as well as related products, including marijuana oil and capsules. He said police had checked with the provincial public health office whether Decha’s foundation had applied for amnesty, and learned that it had not done so, hence it was concluded that the foundation was in violation of the law. 

 

“They produced and distributed marijuana-based medicines, and even though it was done with good intentions, the law is the law and legal action must be taken,” Komsak said. 

 

Suphan Buri’s public health officer, Dr Sarote Marumdee, said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had called the office inquiring about Decha’s case and the office had told the FDA that the foundation had not declared itself for amnesty as required by law. 

 

Police raided Decha’s rice-variety development centre, Khao Khawn Foundation, on Thursday and claimed they had found evidence of marijuana being grown and distributed on the premises. The 30-strong police and Army team searched the centre in tambon Sa Kaew in Muang district and allegedly found 200 marijuana plants along with bags of marijuana seeds, some dried and powdered cannabis products, as well as 22 litres of marijuana oil. The five workers at the centre were then taken to the Sa Kaew precinct for questioning, with Decha’s assistant Pornchai Choolert arrested as a result.

 

Decha, who is overseas at the moment, will be summoned for questioning when he returns, police said. 

 

Political heavyweights, including Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul and his aide Newin Chidchob, have thrown their support behind Decha.

On Sunday, Anutin announced on Facebook that he will personally post bail for Decha and that he has already been in touch with Decha’s team. 

 

Meanwhile, other allies, including BioThai, plan to post the Bt500,000 bail guarantee for Porchai today. Apparently donations are flooding into a newly opened bank account in order to provide legal support for the two. The groups have also invited people to fight for their right to access marijuana-based medicines. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30367373

 

-- © Copyright The Nation

hypocritic, xenophobic, schizofrenic country with laws that nobody enforces and other no written rules to be imposed

Sounds like yet another BIG misunderstanding and a big to do over very little.  Why raid when you can just talk?  The 22 liters of gancha oil is worth a bit of money.  Make sure that does not go missing.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

the law is the law and legal action must be taken

How about idiots on the road that can't drive?

7 hours ago, webfact said:

even though it was done with good intentions, the law is the law and legal action must be taken,

Thailand has a schizoid legal system.

• Military coups are done with good intentions and deemed legal.
• NCPO issues Orders intended for good intentions that are above and outside the law.

"The law is the law" depends in Thailand on where one stands in society and one's "connections."

Thailand is the 99 least corrupt nation out of 175 countries, according to the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International.

Thailand is worse than Panama, tied with Tanzania and Philippines, better than Algeria.

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/corruption-rank

Good intentions does seem to be a factor in the law in Thailand.

I know Decha, he's very well regarded nationally and internationally for his work with rice farmers and for promoting sustainable and organic agriculture. Although he may have jumped the gun, his foundation is exactly the kind of community-based institution that should be licensed and permitted to develop medical cannabis under the incoming law.

Looks like it's once again -  "Don't think, Obey !!".  ????

The amnesty period ends on may 19, but they had no choice but to follow the law and arrest him now.

 

Yep, makes perfect sense. [emoji41]

 

Sent from my crappy device using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

when the international pharmaceutical giants command, their tugs acts

how much has been donated to perform such shameful act ?
 

guess if true, who is getting such medical treatment, now has to go back to hospitals and clinics to purchase expensive and non effective medications.

some of them will not able to afford it and will pass away meantime some one got more wealthy

So is Cannabidiol legal and available here? Supposedly this medical derivative lacks the psychoactive compound THC and so you cannot get high / stoned on it.

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Bhumjaithai Party and local activists on Sunday accused the authorities of raiding the foundation in order to aid international pharmaceutical giants

Yeah right. 

 

Paranoid, nationalistic nonsense. 

Mj was just legalized on Guam last week. Followed the California format - Six plants allowed at home for personal use. So that is the first in Asia. Guam has close ties to the PI so expect movement soon. Japan was forecast as 2020. Permitting home grown is the key to breaking Big Pharma.