Weed for wellness touted

Thailand is in need of a "holistic wellness" approach to capitalise on the use of cannabis to boost tourism, according to Dr Kampon Sriwatanakul, chairman of the Thailand National Charter of Health.

“Thailand should apply cannabis using a holistic approach,” he said at a seminar during the 4th CISW MedCann Investment Summit 2023 on Wednesday.

Dr Kampon suggested wellness tourism should focus more on physical and mental health as well as spirituality.

Cannabis has a valid use case here because it can be used for both medication and relaxation, he said.

However, he said society needs a better understanding of cannabis because of the risks of abuse and negative effects. As such, it should be prescribed under the supervision of medical experts.

More research should be conducted to make better use of cannabis and hemp to benefit people’s health, he added.

Jacky Ong, the founder and president of CISW Holding group and CISW Global Club Thailand, said Thailand can become a hub of holistic wellness.

He said cannabis has many wellness applications due to its beneficial components.

“Cannabis is an herbal plant, not a narcotic drug. We have several reports on cannabis showing the plant has health benefits if used correctly. What we still lack in Thailand is [better] education for people to make the most use of it,” he said.

Cannabis can create economic value by drawing foreign investment for cannabis farms and creating jobs.