Only 1 in 10 Marijuana Amnesty Applicants Receive Approval for Medical Use

Only 10% of those applying for amnesty to legally possess and use medical marijuana in Thailand were deemed to have a valid medical condition, according to the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In total, 20,000 people applied at the government’s amnesty program for those who illegally possessed marijuana prior to medical cannabis legalization in the Southeast Asian nation.

The vast majority of the 2,000 who received approval for medical marijuana use suffered from cancer. A small minority of approvals were granted to sufferers of diseases such as epilepsy or neuralgia.

The FDA stated that most of the denied applicants claimed to have relatively minor physical ailments including insomnia or headaches.

The 2,000 who were granted amnesty to possess and use marijuana will be fast-tracked to receive medical cannabis once hospitals are able to distribute it.

Thailand amended its narcotics law late last year in a move that made it the first country in Asia to legalize medical marijuana.

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