Thais warned not to take medical marijuana abroad

The chief of Thailand's drug suppression and prevention agency on Saturday warned Thais not to take cannabis products with them to foreign countries in the wake of the recent arrest of a Thai national in Japan.

Niyom Termsrisuk, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said that although cannabis is now legal in Thailand if prescribed by a doctor, it remains illegal in many other countries, including Japan.

In addition, the cultivation, import, export and possession of the plant remain prohibited in Thailand too without an appropriate licence, Mr Niyom said.

Mr Niyom said yesterday he had obtained information from Japanese customs officials in Thailand that on Aug 25 a Thai man had been arrested at New Chitose Airport of Sapporo city on Hokkaido island for attempting to bring 25 grammes of cannabis oil extract and cannabis resin into the country.

Mr Niyom said even though the man claimed the cannabis found in his possession was intended only for personal use, marijuana is illegal in Japan for all purposes.

He did not go into detail about whether the man is still being detained or has been granted bail.

Mr Niyom said he was informed by the Japanese customs officials that the Thai man had hidden a small box of the cannabis oil extract in his luggage.

He said this had left him wondering how the traveller had managed to pass through security checks at Suvarnabhumi airport in Thailand without being detected.