Thai health ministry receives cannabis oil for medical use

BANGKOK – Thailand’s health ministry has received its first batch of legal medical marijuana to be distributed in state-run hospitals.

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Public Health Minister Anutin Chanvirakul presided over the Wednesday ceremonial handing over of 4,500 5ml bottles of extracted cannabis oil from the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to the Public Health Ministry on Wednesday.

Anutin was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in a March election.

He led a political party that ran on the flagship policy of legalizing medical marijuana.

In December last year, Thailand’s legislature had agreed to amend the country’s drug law to allow the licensed medical use of marijuana, as well as kratom, a locally grown plant traditionally used as a stimulant and painkiller. /gsg