BANGKOK – The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) and Thailand Post will be singing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the distribution of herbal medication containing cannabis to hospitals, in order to keep up with growing patient demand.
The DTAM’s Director General Marut Jirasetasiri revealed the department has authorized the distribution of medication containing cannabis to 25 hospitals in Thailand for some 2,000 patients. The medications are provided in Sook Saiyas and Tamlai Khao Phra Sumeru recipes, along with cannabis oil, by Dr. Decha.
The department is now working to expand the availability to more hospitals. It is now planning to sign a MOU with Thailand Post to become a logistic provider for cannabis-contained medication to appropriate hospitals.
The DTAM chief said the manufacturing capacity for medical cannabis products will meet the increasing demand, as Rajamangala University Of Technology Isan Sakhon Nakhon Campus, which is one of the authorized manufacturers, has received two lots of cannabis for production, while the production line at Kasetsat University Sakhon Nakhon Campus and National Farmers Federation have already started.
The department is confident in the safety of these medications. To increase confidence among patients and medical practitioners, the DTAM will be conducting research involving 1,000 patients receiving the various formulations of the medication. The research will help assess the efficacy of these medications.
