BANGKOK, May 17 (TNA) – The 140 marijuana plants that the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) grows are blossoming and harvest to make marijuana oil is expected in July.
GPO chairman Sophon Mekthon said the organization grew the plants in its greenhouse facility in Thanyaburi district of Pathum Thani province in February. Harvest could be done in 10-12 weeks and the yield should be transformed into about 12.5 liters of marijuana oil in July. The oil will be put into 2,500 bottles of 5 milliliters each.
The grown marijuana plants were of an imported hybrid variety which gave high content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), he said.
The GPO and the Department of Medical Services would choose the groups of patients to receive treatment with the marijuana oil. Dr Sophon said they should be patients suffering epilepsy, chemo-related nausea and vomiting, pain, demyelinating disease and terminal cancer.
Meanwhile, Wichian Keeratinichakan, a specialist on cultivation and plant variety improvement of Kasetsart University, said those who planted marijuana should not expect huge wealth but should focus on medical benefits because the global price of marijuana extract dropped to 500,000 baht per kilogram. (TNA)
