Thailand

Could cannabis cigarettes be available in your local convenience store?

Published

3 weeks ago

April 30, 2019

Could cannabis cigarettes be available in your local convenience store? | The Thaiger

Thailand’s Tobacco Authority is continuing to lobby for a license for the production of cannabis-based cigarettes but has a few legal, and moral, hoops to climb through before anything happens.

Using the ‘health benefits’ argument, the Thai tobacco industry is hoping it can get the go ahead to manufacture cannabis-based cigarettes which could, if given permission, be as available in convenience stores as normal tobacco cigarettes. But that situation is still a long way away.

The Thai Tobacco Authority has already said it is supporting the move from tobacco to cannabis crops as the sales of cigarettes are dropping due to the higher taxes being imposed. So they’re keen to get a slice of the new legalised cannabis cake.

Daonoi Suttiniphapunt, the MD of the Thai Tobacco Authority says they’re ready to take the necessary next steps.

“Our main intention when requesting a license had to do with the medical benefits, research and extracting the oils to export to other countries. But if the Ministry of Health lets us produce cigarettes, we are ready to do so immediately.”

She say that if legislated the Cannabis cigarettes would mostly contain ‘CBD’, the non-psychoactive compound that doesn’t give you a ‘high’. So the alleged ‘medical benefits’ would be available but not all the ‘highs’ marijuana smokers usually associate with the popular plant.

CBD is the cannabis product socially conservative states in the US, like Texas and Utah, are more likely to support for the medical benefits that are said to assist certain chronic medical conditions.

According to the Public Health Ministry, the use of hemp must be licensed and the farming of the plant is subject to strict regulation. The Ministry has so far granted permission for cannabis farming in 15 districts of six provinces, mostly in the north.

Meanwhile the FDA secretary-general Thares Karassanaiyarawiwong says the Tobacco Authority could obtain a licence to plant cannabis for research, not commerce. The agency can request permission either as a researcher or grower. A separate licence is also needed to import cannabis.

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Related Topics:cannabis CBD Cigarettes marijuana Thailand tobacco weed

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Bangkok

IKEA Thailand launches full online store

Published

5 hours ago

May 24, 2019

The Thaiger & The Nation

“…it took IKEA about two years to study the market demand, develop the infrastructure, and prepare everything before launching their e-commerce service in Southeast Asia.”

by Kwanchai Rungfapairsarn

IKEA Thailand has announced the official launch of its IKEA Online Store as it gets set to better provide for individual customers across the Kingdom.

IKEA Thailand say the seamless online shopping experience will offer the same journey and impression customers get when they visit a physical IKEA store.

“We see the potential – it is a potential in Thailand for IKEA. We have only been accessible within Bangkok so far, and now we will be accessible for people from across the country,” Lacia Sherlock, the deputy retail manager for Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, said.

“The delivery prices need to be affordable and all the services need to be accessible for consumers living outside of Bangkok, so that they are able to get the assembly or whatever they need.”

IKEA has developed the full e-commerce platform for modern shoppers providing a convenient channel to access it products and inspirations, 24 hours a day and from anywhere in Thailand.

Sherlock said it took IKEA about two years to study the market demand, develop the infrastructure, and prepare everything before launching their e-commerce service in Southeast Asia.

“We aim to provide an impressive online shopping experience similar to the shopping experience customers get when visiting our physical stores. The online store has been available in Singapore and Malaysia within Southeast Asia.”

“We are pleased to now be able to provide this access to Thais. We have been wanting to do this for a long time, along with providing them with a superior experience and inspiration through both of our two Bangkok stores,” said Sherlock.

IEA soft-launched its e-commerce service in Thailand on March 26 in order to test the system and procedures and ensure they were fully functional before yesterday’s official launch.

“We are looking at achieving 17,000 online orders this year. We believe that the IKEA Online Store will help strengthen IKEA Thailand and drive sustainable growth, as our popular in-store shopping experience is complemented by our new online offering.”

IKEA Thailand launches full online store | News by The Thaiger

PHOTO: The Nation

Bangkok

Thanathorn is able to attend this afternoon’s opening of Parliament

Published

6 hours ago

May 24, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTO: Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, heading to the opening of Parliament today?

Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has been told he can attend the opening of parliament today by His Majesty the King in the conference hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But the 41 year old leader of Future Forward is yet to confirm his attendance after being told yesterday he would not be able to be part of the opening proceedings.

Sorasak Pienwech, the secretary-general of the House of Representatives, says his office is yet to receive a formal order from the Constitutional Court temporarily suspending Thanathorn’s parliamentary membership so, as far as they’re concerned, he is still a member of parliament and is permitted to attend today’s opening at 3pm.

The Constitutional Court voted 8:1 yesterday to suspend Thanathorn’s parliamentary membership after it unanimously voted to accept the Election Commission’s media share ownership case against him.

As for the meeting of MPs tomorrow, in the conference hall of TOT Company on Chaengwattana road, he said Thanathorn can attend because he has not yet taken an oath as constitutionally mandated.

After the oath-taking ceremony, however, he will have to stop performing his duties as an MP and will have to leave the meeting, according to Mr. Sorasak.

Informed sources said that Mr. Pornpektch Wichitcholachai, former president of the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly, will be nominated as the only candidate and he is likely to be elected the Senate speaker because of his close connection with the junta, especially Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

SOURCE: Thai PBS

Thailand

“Medical cannabis is no panacea” – Thai FDA

Published

7 hours ago

May 24, 2019

The Thaiger & The Nation

“Medical cannabis is no panacea” – Thai FDA | The Thaiger

The Thai Food and Drug Administration is again warning the public that cannabis is not a magic medicine that can cure all illnesses.

The FDA deputy secretary-general Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat has repeated the warning that cannabis cannot cure many illnesses, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems as well as mental illness. The doctor has issued the warning after noting the types of people surrendering their marijuana and registered themselves as cannabis users during the three-month medical marijuana amnesty period that ended last Tuesday.

He was surprised when most of the residents who showed up to register were teens. He said that, under the regulations, no teens were allowed to use marijuana and that they have to get written permission from their parents.

“I wish to make it clear that cannabis will not help heal those illness. Those who use the plant to cure a disease could suffer side-effects. We do not know for sure the exact amount each patient needs and the suitable breed of the plants.”

“Some ingredients of the herb could cause side-effects such as hallucinations.”

His office has received a series of reports from the intensive care units of several hospitals reporting they had treated patients suffering from headaches and fainting after using cannabis,” Surachoke said.

The existing laws do not permit cannabis use by those under 20 years old.

On Tuesday, the last amnesty day, about 20,000 people showed up to surrender the herb they possessed, the FDA chief said.

SOURCE: The Nation