The first legal marijuana plantation in Thailand and Southeast Asia was unveiled Wednesday afternoon in metropolitan Bangkok.
Belonging to the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, a 100sqm greenhouse in Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi district officially became Thailand’s first-ever legal pot plantation, in a project that will go through three different testing phases.
The first batch of 2,500 bottles – five milliliters each – which contain sublingual allergy drops, is expected to be produced in July. They will be used with patients participating in a clinical trial.
On Wednesday, Public Health Minister Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsattayathorn opened the project, which invests in indoor facilities and aeroponic technology, where marijuana plants will be grown with their roots suspended in the air.
The pharmaceutical organization previously conducted experiments by using oil extracted from marijuana seized by the narcotics police, but results showed high contamination levels.
According to its director Witoon Danwiboon, a 164-million-baht budget will be used for the pharmaceutical organization’s second-phase project, or “pilot phase,” at a 1,000sqm facility also in Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi district.
The third-phase project, or “industrial phase,” is expected to be completed within January 2021 in Chonburi’s Nong Yai district. K
