Thailand’s state hospitals are permitted to give cannabis oil without restriction

According to the Ministry of Public Health, three kinds of cannabis oil have been added to Thailand’s National List of Essential Medicines, or NLEM. Patients can now be prescribed cannabis oil by doctors from 893 government hospitals around the country. Thailand’s Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul, claims that the country now has 1,173 marijuana clinics. Government hospitals may freely deliver cannabis extract oil to patients in specific instances, according to Thailand’s Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, or GPO.

The psychoactive element in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is present in higher concentrations in the first form of cannabis oil. The second type has a larger concentration of CBD, or cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating chemical with therapeutic effects. The third solution, according to Dr Nathakan Suwanpiddokul, a GPO pharmacist, contains an equal amount of THC and CBD. The addition of cannabis oil to the NLEM will make the treatment significantly more accessible in Thailand because the government will cover the costs for anyone administered the medicine in a state-owned hospital. The oil will be used largely by cancer patients, particularly those who are suffering from nausea and vomiting as a result of chemotherapy. The oil will also be used to alleviate the misery of terminally ill patients, especially those who are unable to sleep or eat.

The addition of cannabis to the NLEM will be published in the Royal Gazette soon.

Decriminalization and legalization of cannabis products were important platforms when the Bhumjaithai Party ran for power in 2019. The Bhumjaithai Party, which has 51 elected members in the ruling coalition, is led by Anutin Charnvirakul. According to Anutin, one of the Ministry of Health’s key policies is the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The NLEM’s inclusion of all three medical cannabis extract oil compositions is encouraging.