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View all Cannabis and cannabinoids in Asia
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Daily news alerts
Daily regulatory updates of legal changes in the cannabis sector, including monthly compilations
21st November 2023
Japan: The Ministry of Health intends to ban hexahydrocannabihexol (HHCH) after several hospitalisations due to consumption of gummies containing HHCH, press reports. The ban could take effect as early as 2nd December.21st November 2023
- Thailand: The Ministry of Public Health has completed its draft of the Hemp-Cannabis Law to regulate cannabis, which may be available for public comment in mid-December, press reports. Most notably, the draft bill would not place the cannabis plant or its extracts with 0.2% or less of THC back onto the narcotics list. While the bill aims to curb recreational use, the extent to which it might achieve that it is not yet clear. Public health minister Cholnan Srikaew said that licensed dispensaries would be allowed to continue operations under the draft bill but would not be allowed to sell dried flowers. Additionally, home cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes would require prior approval. After a two-week public comment period, the draft bill may be amended and submitted to the cabinet for approval.
14th November 2023
- Japan: Today (14th November), the House of Representatives (lower house) adopted a proposal to legalise cannabis-based medicines and criminalise recreational cannabis use. The bill is yet to be adopted by the House of Councillors (upper house).
30th October 2023
- Israel: The Medical Cannabis Unit published a warning against the use of cannabis after traumatic events. The warning emphasises that cannabis has not been proven effective for the acute phase following trauma and may even be harmful. It recommends that cannabis treatment is only deemed appropriate for chronic conditions, and only after talk therapies or research-based drug treatments.
26th October 2023
- Philippines: House of Representatives member Luis Raymund “L-Ray” Villafuerte, from the minority National Unity Party, has asked Department of Health (DOH) secretary Ted Herbosa to help push for the legalisation of medical cannabis, press reports. The health secretary has backed Villafuerte’s position saying that the DOH is “in favour of the legalisation of medical use of marijuana and its products”. Villafuerte added that with Herbosa’s support he will appeal to the DOH to study the subject and push the issue. Currently, there are several bills in the House of Representatives that seek to legalise medical cannabis, all of which are pending in the Committee on Dangerous Drugs.
19th October 2023
Israel: Today the Ministry of Health published for public consultation a proposal to defer the effective date of the amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance from 29th December 2023 to 29th March 2024. The Health Committee of the Knesset (parliament) and the health minister signed the amendments in June 2023, imposing new rules for licensing medical cannabis for patients, producers and growers; simplifying the licensing process; and reducing approval timelines. The public should submit comments before 2nd November 2023.
9th October 2023
- Israel: The Ministry of Health has issued an order stating that patients and businesses with medical cannabis licences that have expired or will expire within the next month who can’t renew due to the current situation in the country will receive an automatic renewal for three months from the actual expiry date. A copy of the extension will be sent to the licensees by email.
3rd October 2023
- Israel: The Medical Cannabis Unit invites the public to submit their comments to the committee reviewing phytocannabinoids. The committee will formulate decisions regarding the exclusion of products or parts of the cannabis plant that have an intoxicating psychoactive effect from the definition of “dangerous drug” in the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. The committee will not discuss excluding THC from the definition of a dangerous drug. The public should send their comment by email before 29th October 2023.
26th September 2023
- Thailand: Prime minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to prohibit the use and sale of recreational cannabis within six months, press reports. “The law will need to be rewritten,” Srettha said. “It needs to be rectified. We can have that regulated for medical use only.” Srettha's Pheu Thai Party campaigned against recreational cannabis but subsequently formed a coalition with the Bhumjaithai Party, which spearheaded the delisting of cannabis in 2022. Additionally, the Ministry of Public Health announced the formation of a panel to study a bill to regulate cannabis with an emphasis on allowing it only for medical purposes.
15th September 2023
- Israel: The Medical Cannabis Unit has published for public consultation a draft table on the categories of medical cannabis products it has approved. The table lists the products, their categories, and their THC, CBD and cannabinol (CBN) concentrations. The consultation ends on 24th September. Israel’s new reform on the use of medical cannabis laid down new rules, with products classified by categories, and published on the Medical Cannabis Unit website, to ensure precise concentration indications to combat high THC consumption and non-medical marketing in Israeli pharmacies.
12th September 2023
- Thailand: Newly appointed public health minister Cholnan Srikaew said on 11th September that cannabis will not be reclassified as a narcotic, press reports. He said its medical use will be emphasised, and reiterated that extracts with more than 0.2% THC are already considered narcotics. Additionally, the Supreme Administrative Court dismissed a lawsuit against the previous public health minister that challenged the delisting of cannabis, press reports. Together, these developments indicate that cannabis – along with extracts up to 0.2% THC – is likely to remain off of the country’s narcotics list for the foreseeable future.
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