Patients hoping to gain access to medicinal cannabis oil, produced by Mr. Decha Siripat of the Khao Kwan Foundation, have been dealt a blow after Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration on Friday refused to endorse his concoction because he is not a qualified traditional doctor.
The FDA’s decision prompted a network of 12 organizations to accuse the FDA of procrastination, noting that the FDA should have approved the product because it meets all the requirements.
Regarding Mr. Decha’s qualification issue, the people’s network said the matter should be handled by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, so that production of the medicinal cannabis oil by the Khao Kwan Foundation can continue uninterrupted.
However, Admiral Charnchai Charoensuwan, president of the Thai Traditional Medical Council, said that, since Mr. Decha is not a qualified traditional doctor, his medicinal cannabis oil is regarded as illegal.
Mr. Decha has been widely recognized by civic groups and supporters of alternative medicine as a medicinal cannabis expert. He has been dispensing his cannabis concoctions to patients suffering from different diseases for several years. He was, however, arrested and released after an amendment of the narcotics law to legalize medicinal cannabis.
