Justice Ministry proposing new laws to exclude Kratom leaves from drug lists in Thailand

Justice Minister, Somsak Thapsutin said on Wednesday (December 11) that his ministry would propose new laws related to narcotics in terms of type and legal penalty, and aimed to exclude kratom leaves from the drug lists.

“To consider plants or chemicals as narcotics, the government referred to World Health Organization (WHO)’s drug regulatory framework, which defined narcotics as having four characteristics,” he explained.

First, narcotics must cause effects on the users’ body like anxiety or severe dysentery, when they stop using them. Second, narcotics have no medical advantage or have them slightly, and, third, those who consume it suffer from health problems, such as emaciation, weakness, and being nervous, and cannot control themselves. Lastly, narcotics can cause an impact on society.

“Kratom leaves do not match those characteristics,” said the minister. “Those who use them can stop using it easily, and the leaves can be used as herb to relieve pain, fever, dysentery, or diarrhea. Also, it is better than morphine thirteen times in killing pain, and has a few disadvantages.”

Previously, Thai researchers had studied kratom leaves with Japanese researchers, and copyrighted two copies in Japan and two copies of America.

Source: nationthailand.com/news/30379317

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/