Senior Thai officials visit Israel to learn about medical cannabis cultivation

Photo: Israeli Economy ministry spokesperson
Photo: Israeli Economy ministry spokesperson

Twenty senior Thai government officials are visiting Israel this week to learn about medical cannabis cultivation and to evaluate potential cross-country cooperation.

The Israeli Health Ministry’s Medical Cannabis Unit is facilitating meetings between the Thai officials and Israeli companies that specialize in the agriculture, cultivation and production of cannabis extracts, reported The Jerusalem Post.

“We are pleased that the local government has decided to visit Israel at the perfect time in terms of business potential and with a very extensive delegation,” said the head of the Economic and Trade Office at the Israeli Embassy in Thailand, Dagan Alony.

“As always, we are putting great effort into promoting Israeli industry abroad generally, and in Thailand in particular,” he said. “This is an excellent opportunity for Israeli companies in the Thai market.”

At the end of last year Thailand became the first nation in Southeast Asia to legalize medical marijuana.

In a unanimous 166-0 vote on Christmas Day, parliament officially amended the kingdom’s 1979 Narcotic Act, which criminalized all usage and possession of marijuana and kratom (another local herb with stimulant-like effects).

Lawmaker Somchai Sawangkan, the amendment’s primary backer, said he considers the approval a New Year’s gift to Thai citizens.

Meanwhile, the use of medical marijuana has been has been permitted in Israel since the early 1990s to cure cancer patients and those with pain-related illnesses such as Parkinson’s.

So yeah, they’ve definitely been doing this far longer than us.

On Christmas of last year — the same day legalization occured in Thailand — the Israeli Parliament passed a bill allowing the export of medical marijuana, reported Forbes.

“Israel is a medical cannabis power,” said Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel. “The Israeli research conditions for growth in the field precede most countries in the world by five to seven years due to progressive regulation.”

“Furthermore,” said Minister Ariel, “the products in Israel are manufactured according to strict production standards, on a medical level, like in the pharmaceutical industry — including strict security rules for the entire value chain, developed following inter-ministerial work which took place over a prolonged period.”

Last year, Coconuts TV produced a docu-series – now available exclusively on Netflix – called “HIGHLAND: Thailand’s Marijuana Awakening” on the subject. As we’re moving towards legalizing medical marijuana: here’s a little background on how the marijuana legalization movement got started in thailand.



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