Thailand’s Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine has confirmed that the new cannabis prescription form, known as PorThor 33, will proceed without the previously listed 15 medical symptoms, following concerns about overlapping authority among professional groups.
Somruk Chungsaman, Director-General of the department, said yesterday, June 30, that the decision aims to allow each of the seven recognised professions to define which symptoms or conditions fall within their clinical guidelines. He signed the formal announcement and expects it to be published in the Royal Gazette soon.
The recognised professions are as follows:
- Physicians
- Dentists
- Pharmacists
- Thai traditional doctors
- Applied Thai traditional doctors
- Chinese medicine practitioners
- Folk healers specialising in herbal medicine
Each prescription must include the practitioner’s licence number and detailed patient information, including name, age, nationality, ID number, diagnosis, and dosage, which is capped at a 30-day supply per issuance.
For now, only two professions, medical doctors under the Medical Council and Thai traditional doctors, have official guidelines in place and can begin prescribing cannabis.
In modern medicine, four conditions are recognised for cannabis prescriptions: epilepsy, nausea and vomiting caused by cancer treatment, neuropathic pain, and muscle spasticity.
Under Thai traditional medicine, eight conditions are permitted, such as nausea, headache, loss of appetite, and pain associated with cancer.
Reporting requirements for businesses
Shops must continue to comply with monthly reporting requirements with the PorThor 27 (to report the source of cannabis buds) and PorThor 28 (to track monthly sales) forms, respectively.
The new PorThor 33 form will document prescription details, including the prescriber’s information, patient diagnosis, and the quantity prescribed, which is limited to a 30-day supply per issuance.
Somruk added that the draft ministerial regulation, under the Act on Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom, is undergoing public consultation, with feedback due by July 12. Once finalised, it will be reviewed by the National Committee on Thai Traditional Medicine Promotion and then submitted to the public health minister and the Cabinet.
Regarding concerns that some clinics or doctors may charge excessive fees for issuing prescriptions, Somruk clarified that, in principle, there should be no cost.
However, if practitioners do charge during this transitional period, the fee should not exceed 50 to 100 baht. Reports of fees as high as 500 baht are considered unethical and may violate professional standards.
It’s worth mentioning that this regulatory update comes amid widespread public misconceptions in regard to the new cannabis laws. Initially, on June 26, the Health Ministry issued an order prohibiting recreational cannabis usage, introducing prescriptions for retail purchases.
Shortly after, a 60 to 90 day hold on all regulatory changes was announced before this latest clarification on prescription procedures. More information is yet to come as Thailand’s cannabis laws are to be finalised.
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