The cabinet’s approval for patients and community doctors to produce medical marijuana is a good start but it could be years before the law is enacted, experts said.
However, the move has reignited attention and demands are expected to increase once the bill becomes a law.
The Thai government approved the Ministry of Public Health’s measures last week to allow patients with medical certificates and community doctors to produce, import, export, sell and possess medical marijuana.
Following the approval, the measures will be introduced to parliament for debate. The bill will then be drafted, handed over to the senate, and wait for royal endorsement before it can be passed as a law.
Such legal process, especially for sensitive issues in the Thai society, could take years to be realized, said Kitty Chopaka, the founder and CEO of Elevated Estate.
“This is just a baby step,” she told Thai Enquirer.
“The process of putting something into law from a draft takes time as only the principles of the law have gone through… it is now is with the Office of the Council of State,” she added.
Kitty said this is where such bill always get “bottlenecked” and it could take up to 2-3 years before it can be presented to parliament.
“If it is a one-sided government that is going to be pushing the law then that is going to be the easiest way through,” she said.
“If the person who is pushing this can get it past the Office of the Council of State then this could be done before the 2-3 years mark but I doubt it,” she added.
There are many drafts including the amendment of the narcotic act. The setup of a state-run cannabis institute, which is being pushed by the Bhumjaithai Party, is already with parliament but that the matter has yet to reach the floor.
The parliament has been preoccupied with the fiscal 2021 budget debate. The amendment of the constitution is also currently being pushed by protestors.
“What they did is show that they did some homework and they have handed it in but this is nothing more than a PR stunt,” she said.
Kitty said if Bhumjaithai is no longer in the next government, there could be another vacuum for the law as the party would not just give up its vote-gathering machine to another party that easily.
“They need to make their voters happy now so that they can use it for the next campaign by saying that they will have to come back to finish the job,” she added.
Last Sunday, a new pro-marijuana party, the Thai Rak Gun Party (พรรคไทยรักกัน), was launched with Dr Peerapong Pairin, the former provincial election director at the Election Commission, as its leader.
The party (THC.P) promises to make marijuana as one of the nation’s main crops within four years if they are voted into government.
Doing so would help the country reduce its public and household debts via contract farming and government to government deals, they added.
“Puff”, the founder of T-Rex, a seller of organic soil and fertiliser for the cannabis industry in Thailand since 2014, told Thai Enquirer, that demand is still growing since medical marijuana has been legalized and the news from the cabinet last week has led to more questions from people looking to enter the business.
In February 2019, Thailand removed cannabis and hemp extracts from its narcotics control list and Bhumjaithai has proposed a draft law that would allow each household to grow six cannabis plants.
The country has also opened its first full-time clinic offering cannabis-based medications at the beginning of 2020.
Four types of drugs, containing different combinations of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are now being given to patients in Thailand.
However, cannabis is still a Narcotic Type 5 and possession could land you in jail. People like Puff have to find alternate ways to conduct business, such as selling soils to public institutions and universities that are allowed to grow them.
“Demand is still coming from licensed intuitions but we are seeing more newcomers as well, especially after the news that came out last week,” he said.
“We are expecting even more demand once the bill becomes law and other potential businesses, besides selling soil and greenhouses, will also pick up,” he added.
On the other hand, a dealer of recreational marijuana known as “Jay” told Thai Enquirer that the news did not change anything for the underground market.
Right now, the recreational market in Thailand can be split into two markets, the upper and the lower ones.
The upper ones used to rely on the import of recreational marijuana but right now, many are already being grown indoor all over the country.
These farmers normally sell the flowers directly to the users while some are being used to supply vapes as some flowers are not of a high enough quality to sell as dried herbs, and THC oil can also be used with such machines, Jay said.
For the lower market, the traditional way of growing outdoor in forests are still happening in the mountains up north while products are also coming from Laos.
When asked if there is any concern over the governments’ move to allow patients to grow their own plant, Jay said: “the underground market will continue to exist as long as weed is still considered an illegal drug”.
