“Ganja-naburi”: Kanchanaburi is becoming Thailand’s medical marijuana capital

Kanchanaburi… more like “Ganja-naburi.” The western province is becoming a hub for medical marijuana, aka ganja, with more and more community enterprises getting licences to grow the once-criminalised plant.

260 kilograms of cannabis were harvested for the second time at a medical marijuana event in Kanchanaburi yesterday. The cannabis was planted six months ago by eight community enterprises that are licenced to grow medical marijuana.

In 10 days, four more community enterprises that recently received licenses will begin growing their first marijuana plants. In total, the 12 enterprises aim to grow 87,300 marijuana plants, which will make Kanchanaburi the biggest producer of medical marijuana in Thailand.

Yesterday, both farmers and community enterprises gathered at the event with the cannabis they harvested. Representatives from the Department of Traditional and Alternative Medicine examined the marijuana before handing it over to the government to enter the procurement and distribution process. One Tambon One Product, a local entrepreneurship stimulus programme that aims to support locally made products, will help to produce and distribute medical marijuana-related products made in Kanchanaburi.

Pracharatch Party MP Somchai Witsanuwong took to the stage to say he is glad to see community enterprises successfully implementing the use of technology to cultivate medical marijuana. Somchai added that, by further expanding the medical marijuana network, Kanchanaburi will be the largest source of medical marijuana in Thailand.

A new marijuana plantation is being set up at the River Kwai Herbal Therapeutic Centre as the centre’s president Wisart Pojprasart has given eight community enterprises an area to grow medical marijuana free of charge.

SOURCE: NaewNa