27th February 2019 saw the first legal indoor cannabis plantation being officially opened by the Thailand government. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization or the GPO will work towards developing a cannabis-based medication that is affordable. Thailand has taken its baby steps towards patented cannabis medicines. The facility is housed at Pathum Thani’s Thanya Buri district.
The challenge is to develop medicines and compete with advanced medical cannabis innovation in the global space. The farm is operated and has been invested in by the GPO. The purpose is to harvest medical grade cannabis that can be used to extract affordable cannabis oil that is sublingually used for all patients in need.
The facility is the first legal cannabis farm in South East Asia. It has an advanced hi-tech aeroponics farming technology as its base. There is present a high-security surveillance technology that ensures that steps are taken to create high quality, medical grade crops.
Bt100 million was invested in creating the facility and in installing the supporting system for the indoor plantation. The plants will be grown organically and will have no chemicals and will be completely safe to produce medicines. Mr. Piyasakol warned that Thailand was lagging behind other countries in the medical cannabis space and also in terms of technology and innovation.
To avoid the perils of monopolization, the authorities and other stakeholders should speed up investment in the industry and research and development should be made the thrust. The Narcotics Act was amended to include only official agencies and their tie-ups as official growers of cannabis in the first five years from now.
These agencies will have to comply with strict laws and meet high global standards pertaining to quality and production norms. Investment is huge, but if the project is handled well, it could mean huge returns in the future.
