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Cannabis plants used for medical purposes at Rangsit University, Pathum Thani Province, north of Bangkok. Getty Images

In Thailand, medical cannabis is now a reality: the first batch of bottles of cannabinic oil arrived in hospitals. It will be used to treat patients with cancer and other diseases. But this new cannabis law divides Thais.

From our correspondent in Bangkok ,

It is not about legalization that Thais do not agree, the law passed unanimously in Parliament last December. It is rather about the distribution of the profits of this new financial windfall. Indeed, the Thai government withdrew a few days ago from its list of banned narcotics, some cannabis products. What is controversial is the dose of THC, the active ingredient of cannabis in products now legal which should not exceed 0.2%.

Farmers want their share

For Thai farmers, this is a rate far too low that requires the intervention of sophisticated laboratory equipment, usually owned by foreign firms, multinationals in partnership with the richest Thai families. If we want Thai farmers to get rich with cannabis production, we must raise this legal THC rate to about 1%, claim the rural organizations.

The Minister of Health has said he is ready to look at it. Before entering the government, Anutin Charnvirakul had made the legalization of cannabis a means of enriching peasants as his main campaign theme. He promised that every rural Thai home would be allowed to grow six cannabis plants. But recently Thailand was called to order by the UN Office of the Control of Narcotics who objected that such a law amounted to a total liberalization of the product, including recreational use, which put the country in a situation violation of the international drug control treaties and would result in losing the right to import certain drugs, even threatened officials.

A juicy market that can benefit Thailand

These tensions can be explained by the very important economic issues of the sector of which Thailand wants to become a major player. Thailand has ideal weather conditions for growing marijuana. It can capitalize on its image and the globally recognized quality of its products, all at very low production costs. Its stated ambition is to compete in the medium term the United States on the lucrative market of medical cannabis. In Asia alone, including China and Japan, the market is estimated at more than 5 billion euros annually.