Last updated on September 26th, 2023 at 08:33 am
In another sign that the Thai government is being very cautious as it rolls out medical marijuana in the kingdom, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed several concerns and warnings about medical marijuana.
The Prime Minister instructed people not to become too dependent on medical marijuana, as he was concerned that some people may forego other treatments that they should receive, which could lead to their medical condition worsening.
He also warned that some conditions are simply not treatable without modern medicine and that people should not rely solely on medical marijuana for treatment.
PM Prayut also made the point that use of medical marijuana without proper supervision could also complicate other medical care that patients were receiving and stressed that people should not begin using medical marijuana without obtaining a proper prescription from a qualified healthcare provider.
The Prime Minister cited several studies from the Ministry of Health in outlining his concerns.
While the legalization of medical marijuana struck many by surprise, the Thai government has been both pushing forward with putting this tool in the hands of healthcare professionals, while at the same time, trying to be very cautious with how the programs are rolled out to the public.
Ministry of Health authorities have put out a multi-phase rollout strategy with a very targeted initial rollout while the government works on how best to regulate this new industry, with a later, more open phase in which more hospitals and health care facilities will have access to medical marijuana.
