Hospital in Thailand Now Serving Patients Marijuana Dishes and Drink

Chaophraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital in central Thailand is now serving patients dishes and drinks prepared with marijuana leaves at its Abhaibhubejhr Day Spa in Prachin Buri province.

Asala Chaocharoen, professional pharmacist at the hospital, said the hospital had pioneered the medical use of marijuana and at the latest development it used 1-2 leaves from legally planted marijuana in a dish.

Dishes with marijuana content provided consumers with relaxation, good mood, deep sleep and appetite, she said.

Excessive consumption of marijuana leaves caused dizziness and sleepiness, so consumers should take precautions if they would drive. Safe consumption was at 5-8 leaves a day, she said.

Although THC, a psychoactive substance, in marijuana leaves is much weaker than that in marijuana flowers, abuse of marijuana leaves could cause health problems. Marijuana dishes at the hospital had been thoroughly studied and tested to ensure safety, Ms Asala said.

Such dishes were introduced on Jan 6 and received warm welcome from gourmets. They included spicy soup, fried dish and fried bread with minced pork spread. The hospital also served marijuana soda, she said.

400kgs of organic marijuana

Meanwhile, Maejo University along with representatives from the public health office and Region 5 police in Chiang Mai witnessed the handing over of 400kgs of organic marijuana to the department of medical services.

This is the third handover under this project, which is the first official industrial marijuana production project sanctioned and approved for use for medical purposes in ASEAN.

The project, founded in 2019, has been growing organic and standardized marijuana with the aim of being sold to the medical industry. The marijuana has been sent to Khon Kaen University’s pharmaceutical faculty to be developed and processed into medicine.

The value of the 400 ton of marijuana is 16 million baht, or 40,000 baht per kg, CityNews reports.

Maejo University is conducting many experiments to develop Thai strains of marijuana with varying degrees of THC and CBD with the aim of eventually entering the world market.

According to Maejo University, Thai marijuana used to be recognized as one of the best in the world, but since many other countries have legalized the plant, their research and development have improved their products and Thailand needs to get its name back on the market. The university is also developing many low-THC strains as well as hemp with hopes of being able to create multiple medical and health products in the future.

The public in Thailand will soon be able to enter the industry through many channels as rules and regulations are being finalized.