BANGKOK (NNT) - The Cabinet has given the green light to a draft royal decree that permits the cultivation of opium and magic mushrooms for medicinal use on a trial basis. The proposal, presented by the Justice Ministry, received unanimous support from key government bodies including the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry, Interior Ministry, Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, and the Royal Thai Police.

Under the new regulation, the International Narcotics Control College, situated within Chiang Rai’s Chiang Saen district, will be authorized to cultivate opium for medicinal purposes. This college, overseen by the Office of Narcotics Control Board, will facilitate the extraction of morphine by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation in their laboratories located in Bangkok and Pathum Thani.

The decree also aims to enable the growth of magic mushrooms in designated universities and educational institutions across four regions of Thailand. Institutions approved for the project will be those deemed ready to embark on experimental projects to create anti-depressants from the extracts of magic mushrooms.

Magic mushrooms contain essential compounds, psilocybin, and psilocin, which possess promising potential for developing anti-depressant drugs. Thailand has witnessed a significant rise in the number of depression diagnoses, with approximately 1.76 million cases recorded between 2015 and 2020.

Experts said the initiative is expected to pave the way for cost-effective domestic production of these crucial drugs, thereby saving the country a substantial amount of money.

THAILAND’S new prime minister vowed to restrict the use of marijuana for medical purposes after thousands of weed shops opened across the country since the nation became the first in Asia to decriminalise cannabis a year ago.

The government will seek to “rectify” its cannabis policy and rampant sprouting of dispensaries that freely sell the drug within a six-month time frame, Srettha Thavisin said in an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday in New York.

“The law will need to be rewritten,” Srettha said. “It needs to be rectified. We can have that regulated for medical use only,” he said, adding that there can’t be a middle ground for recreational use.

While Srettha said there was a broad agreement among the 11-party coalition he heads about the need to restrict cannabis use, how exactly his administration will proceed remains unclear.

Alex wrote: ↑Fri Sep 22, 2023 10:05 am Yeah I mean in a country where doctors routinely issue a health certificate, patient unseen, for a mere 100 baht or so, getting a prescription for cannabis shouldn't pose too much of an obstacle.