New ‘smart’ medical weed course to kick off next year

The Office of the Non-Formal and Informal Education (ONIE) will offer a new course on medical cannabis starting next year, said Assoc Prof Phatchari Sisang, an expert of research and development at Srinakharinwirot University.

Assoc Prof Phatchari said a team of experts on medical cannabis is working to create content for the course.

Entitled “Marijuana and Hemp Studies for Smart Use”, the course will be worth 3 credits and take a total of 120 hours to complete, said Assoc Prof Phatchari who is on the working team.

Designed by the ONIE together with Chaopraya Abhaiphubejhr Hospital, the course will consist of seven parts.

They are: Chapter 1: Reasons Why We Need to Learn about Marijuana and Hemp (10 hours), Chapter 2: Marijuana and Hemp as Medicinal Plants (20 hours), Chapter 3: Dangers and Benefits of Marijuana and Hemp (15 hours), Chapter 4: Laws about Marijuana and Hemp (15 hours), Chapter 5: Marijuana and Hemp in Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (20 hours), Chapter 6: Marijuana and Hemp in Modern Medicine (20 hours), and Chapter 7: How to Use Marijuana and Hemp as Medicines To Their Fullest Benefits.

“This course is not about growing marijuana. Instead, it will provide knowledge about the pros and cons of marijuana and how to use it appropriately,” Assoc Prof Phatchari said.

Suphaphon Pitiphon, the president of the Thai traditional medicine and herbs at Chaopraya Abhaiphubejhr Hospital, said the course will give basic and necessary knowledge about marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Sangkhom Thopurin, an expert on education institution management, who is a member of the team designing the course, said it will be better to bring in place a formal study course on marijuana and hemp than to let enthusiasts struggle to find information on their own from elsewhere.