Buddhadhamma: Medical Marijuana Laws

Abstract

The academic article aimed at investigating the Buddhadhamma contributing to the development of medical marijuana laws. The data were collected through the Mahā-vibhaṅga of the Vinaya Piṭaka, documents, and the viewpoints of people involved in medical marijuana laws, particularly patients and doctors who provided the treatment. The study discovered that marijuana has long existed as a local herb in Thai society before it was classified as a narcotic under the Narcotics Act, B.E. 2022. Although the present Narcotics Code B.E. 2564, as well as the Announcement by the Ministry of Public Health on ‘Specifying the names of narcotics in category 5 B.E. 2565’, result in the different components of the marijuana plant being non-narcotic, with the exception of extracts containing no more than 2% THC by weight; however, people in the society are still unsure on which direction Thailand is heading to. The goals of the development of medicinal marijuana laws are to protect patients and doctors from being labeled as offenders. The use of Buddhadhamma includes Ariyasacca (the Four Noble Truths) for conflict resolution and Majjhimā paṭipadā (the Middle Path) as the guidelines to get past the conflicts and allow Thai society to evolve at the same level as other civilized countries.