After closing the Agential Cannabis conference in Bangkok last month, Stephen Murphy, founder and CEO of Prohibition Partners, considers how medicinal cannabis in the Asia-Pacific region is taking shape and what will determine leadership in the region over the next five years.
Thirteen years ago, Uruguay became the first country on the planet to officially legalise cannabis for recreational (adult-use) purposes.
Thailand’s political landscape has seen three changes of power in just one year, the latest being the removal of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, over her handling of a border conflict with Cambodia.
It once sounded like a miracle: Thailand was shifting from one of the world’s most restrictive cannabis policies to a more rational, modern approach to the traditional plant.
SOMAÍ Pharmaceuticals, a leading EU-GMP vertically integrated Multi-Country Operator (MCO) with the most advanced cannabinoid pharmaceutical extract portfolio, has partnered with Pacific Cannovation Company Limited (PACCAN) to transform Thailand into a global hub for high-quality medicinal cannabis.
In recent months, Thailand has become a biword for the negative impact of cannabis liberalisation policy without adequate planning and forethought.
Written by Michael Sassano, CEO, Somai Pharmaceuticals The Thai cannabis market is currently a full-blown recreational model, and it has exploded quicker than any market in legal cannabis history.
Earlier this month, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew proposed a new bill that would effectively roll back the country’s pioneering adult-use cannabis legalisation.
“The West can teach the East how to get a living, but the East must eventually be asked to show the West how to live.” ~ Tehyi Hsieh.
