The Guideline on Community Development Mechanism for Cultivation of Marijuana and Hemp and Production of Marijuana and Hemp Products: A Case Study of Dongmada Sub-district, Mae Lao District, Chiang Rai Province

Abstract

This research article is based on a research project aiming to study the situation, problems, and obstacles in the cultivation of marijuana and hemp and to develop a guideline on community development mechanisms for the cultivation of marijuana and hemp and the production of marijuana and hemp products in the area of Dongmada Sub-district, Mae Lao District, Chiang Rai Province. The research used qualitative research methodology by in-depth interviews and focus group discussion among 18 key informants comprising government officers, civil society personnel involved in the promotion of marijuana and hemp cultivation, and agriculturists of marijuana and hemp farms by the presentation of content analysis research findings.
The research found that after the Ministry of Health’s Notification proclaimed that extract from every part of marijuana plants and hemp plants would not be the category five narcotics, agriculturists cultivated more excellent marijuana plants and hemp plants, especially the Virginia species and found that significant problems and obstacles included lack of collective formal meeting of agriculturists in the area, problem in the cultivation requiring high investment value and lack of knowledge of the cultivation. As a result, a guideline on community development mechanism for the cultivation of marijuana and hemp and the production of marijuana and hemp products in the area were in these following four ways: (1) Should encourage grouping of agriculturists as a community enterprise for production of marijuana and hemp products; (2) Should legislate to prohibit possession, sale and utilization of marijuana and hemp products for recreation; (3) Should provide research center to develop marijuana and hemp breeds in the community for medical use and (4) Should provide advertisement or publicity in order to get people aware of benefits from medical marijuana and hemp in Thai Traditional Medicine and to push relevant application with patients in the hospital.