Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Thailand is considering opium cultivation to boost its plant-based medicine industry and support local farmers, as announced by Deputy Public Health Minister Worachot Sukhonkhachon. The initiative aims to make the Ministry of Public Health an economic driver through holistic treatments and Thai herbal products, which have international acceptance. The country hopes to replace morphine imports with locally cultivated opium, benefiting farmers by allowing them to switch from low-value crops to higher-value plantations.

 

Currently, Thailand imports morphine, costing around 300 million baht annually. Worachot emphasized that any opium plantation must be strictly regulated with oversight from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) to prevent misuse. Close monitoring and careful execution are key to ensuring that the cultivation process remains within controlled channels.

 

Dr. Mingkwan Suphannaphong, managing director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), confirmed that opium derivatives are crucial for pain treatment. The GPO collaborates with the NSB to reduce morphine imports by developing domestic production, having already achieved laboratory-scale morphine production with plant materials from police anti-drug operations.

 

The GPO has invested 36 million baht for a semi-industrial plant in Rangsit, Pathum Thani, to upscale morphine production. Dr. Mingkwan stated the potential for future commercial-scale opium cultivation but stressed the necessity for stringent control to harness opium’s medicinal potential. Further research aims to maximize benefits while ensuring comprehensive control.

 

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the GPO and the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine to modernize Thai herbal medicine. This includes repackaging traditional formulas into tablets and improving marketing, aiming to enhance the global presence of Thai herbal products, reported Bangkok Post.

 

Key Takeaways

• Thailand plans opium cultivation for local morphine production.
• Strict regulation is necessary to prevent illicit opium use.
• Efforts align with modernizing Thai herbal medicine.

 

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-11-13

 

 

Opium in medication? Gee, what could possibly go wrong.

 

See the Sackler family crime syndicate.

They have practiced with marijuana, what could possibly go wrong?

30 minutes ago, Dionigi said:

They have practiced with marijuana, what could possibly go wrong?

total different thing!

 

They definitely need to do something. They do not have sufficient pain medications for those that are suffering. They can also make their own Oxycontin which they ran out of years ago and have never resupplied. I think they are scared of pain medication and just don’t understand the need. Yes, there will always be abusers, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have something to offer those who truly need it. 

43 minutes ago, Nickcage49 said:

Opium in medication? Gee, what could possibly go wrong.

 

See the Sackler family crime syndicate.

This could be Sackler 2,they turned Americans into drug addicts 

I am sorry this will be the ruin of Thailand here comes Cuba the second 

2 minutes ago, jcmj said:

They definitely need to do something. They do not have sufficient pain medications for those that are suffering. They can also make their own Oxycontin which they ran out of years ago and have never resupplied. I think they are scared of pain medication and just don’t understand the need. Yes, there will always be abusers, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have something to offer those who truly need it. 

Oxycontin is available under strict dispensing for people who are in severe pain in NZ, Sackler is not allowed to make it any more it's actually a very good drug but sadly Sackler and many crooks peddled it all over the USA, it's synthetic so no need to grow opium to make it 

Hill Tribe people in northern Thailand have been producing opium-based medicines for years.

2 hours ago, jcmj said:

They do not have sufficient pain medications for those that are suffering.

That is where Fentanyl is added to common pain relievers  to manage severe pain by blocking pain signals in the brain and central nervous system . It is also used as postoperative analgesic rescue for reducing the time to reduce pain from severe to mild.

Yeah, that’ll turn out well. Potential new market for plod or the grunts?

Recreational O is great and hard to become addicted if not a regular user.

5 hours ago, khunpeer said:

total different thing!

 

Not really, cannabis with a bit of opium is amazing.

I know many drugs are called opiates.  Are they really still made from opium plants, or is opiates just a generic term for the way those drugs work?

7 hours ago, Real Name Hidden said:

Hill Tribe people in northern Thailand have been producing opium-based medicines for years.

Yes, I was aware of that 20 years ago, but nowadays?

5 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

I know many drugs are called opiates.  Are they really still made from opium plants, or is opiates just a generic term for the way those drugs work?

Opiates come from the opium poppy.

Opioids are lab synthesized pain killers/medicines 

Obviously Anutin looking to diversify portfolio.

...and the Golden Triangle ???  those are not cabbage plants growing.. 

so ?  too many shoes to step on ?   ask Big Joke !

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT0-Bywhrjb8wOgXBIkca9ySEmn-k1ixoKmHZEEEGTvnNcdAA-mjJy0pSnlN7X_hHFHqT8&usqp=CAU

On 11/14/2025 at 9:15 AM, kiwikeith said:

This could be Sackler 2,they turned Americans into drug addicts 

I am sorry this will be the ruin of Thailand here comes Cuba the second 

Do you like drug dealers and criminals red finger 

This will end well, likely with the Trump regime torpedoing passenger ferries off Hua Hin.

 

Perhaps opium dens will open in Pattaya and the fleshpots of Bangkok.  Get the girls hooked on junk and they'll work for a fix.  My den would be called 'Chasing the Dragonlady'.