Weed availability took a big step forward today as the first medical professionals began training to dispense medical marijuana.
Two-hundred medical professionals attended the first of a two-day program hosted by the Medical Services Ministry which ends with an exam to earn a license to prescribe cannabis to patients in Thailand.
Those who obtain the certificates must take them to the Food and Drug Administration’s offices to get the full medical marijuana license, a researcher at a government facility told Coconuts Bangkok this afternoon.
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“A doctor will not be able to register at the FDA without a certificate,” said Nattaya Sanga of the Institute of Medical Research and Technology.
For the first-ever training, 200 doctors, dentists and pharmacists registered online for the program, which will conclude tomorrow, Thai PBS reported.
The two-day seshes aim to give medical professionals guidelines on how to prescribe medical marijuana, which was made legal late last year by the interim parliament.
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Attendees will be educated about the medical benefits and treatments for specific diseases as well as more procedural aspects of the industry such as relevant regulations and what to be aware of when prescribing it to patients.
Nattaya said not all participants will receive a certificate, as they must pass the test with a certain score to be considered successful. The certificate is valid for two years.
Though registration is closed for the current round of training, the ministry has said it will hold six such sessions.
The second round is set to take place May 23 and 24. Registration opens May 10 and can be found at the department’s website.
Now hopefully there will actually be a supply of medical-grade weed available when all those doctors hit the streets.
