Thailand’s government announced last week that it will allow the use of most parts of the cannabis and hemp plants in cosmetics and food, the Bangkok Post reports. The move removes cannabis and hemp leaves, branches, stems, trunks, bark, fiber, and roots from the government’s narcotic list but flower remains outlawed. Both CBD and THC extracts are limited at 0.2 percent under the reforms.
The rules – which still need final approval from the Food and Drug Administration and the public health minister – allow products from government organizations, medical and research organization, modern and traditional medical practitioners, universities, and community-based groups, for use in food and cosmetics, the report says.
Over the last year, Thailand has approved several cannabis-related reforms, including allowing health clinics to offer both cannabis and modern treatments, permitting hospitals to produce cannabis-based medicines, and approving a proposal to allow farmers, health professionals, and medical patients to cultivate, produce, and export cannabis and cannabis products. The nation also opened up cannabis cultivation to private companies following a five-year ban on the practice.
According to CTN News, Thailand is the first Southeast Asian country to legalize medical cannabis.
A 2019 Prohibition Partners report estimated that a medical cannabis market throughout Asia could be worth $5.8 billion by 2024. Medical cannabis is also legal in Pakistan and Uzbekistan while South Korea allows the use of CBD products for medical purposes.
Get daily cannabis business news updates. Subscribe
End