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tv   Thailands Cannabis Revolution  Al Jazeera  September 18, 2020 12:32pm-1:01pm +03

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that hundreds more are moving in there among the 12000 left homeless when the overcrowded. lost. tropical storm sally has moved to the eastern united states after causing widespread flooding on the gulf coast to rancho rain has fallen in virginia and the carolinas mature nato's threatened further south boats are being used to rescue people cut off by floodwaters in alabama and the florida panhandle heavy rain and further flooding is forecast in parts of sudan in the coming week it will worsen the situation for residents in the capital khartoum but a 3rd of sudan's flood victims live in sin are states and there is the threat of water borne diseases bolivia's interim president says withdrawing from next month's presidential election joining anya's says she wants to avoid splitting the votes and prevent the socialist party of former president evo morales from winning more news coming up with the clark in half an hour after want to thanks for watching but
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by. russia now seems to be going off to the main economic resource which is a pool story we bring you the stories and developments that are rapidly changing the world live with the president's promise america 1st policy triggered a trade war that morphed into a technological war come to new calls on al-jazeera. for decades drug kingpins made millions trafficking heroin opium and cannabis through thailand. in response to thailand's long became top. top its prisons are bursting at the seams. but there's been the down didn't you can call a city. not. even government ministers or extolling the virtues of cannabis we have seen that. would not only kill
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you in this for people it could become one of the major income of all i people i think they're all supporters go even further. but i think. i'll go into a gun tyee numb i'm going to toss. one knee high. as the new drug laws take effect one on one east investigate whether these promises are like a reality. it's a quiet afternoon here at university bangkok. but security is tight. a van carrying half a ton of valuable contraband is about to arrive. there
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500 kilograms of cannabis here and normally it would go to an intern or it or but today is going to thailand very for medical cannabis research referred. to the biggest delivery of seized cannabis they've ever received and the swat team is here to make sure every one of these packages reaches its final destination. little more than a year ago cannabis was a class 5 drug anyone found possessing or using it in thailand could get up to 10 years in prison. new laws now allow those with permits to cultivate dispense and study cannabis. from my car my own.
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are. we are all made a. pot song sorry runs this facility is university is one of the 1st to invest in thailand's new medical benefits industry in a big way. because the. hartmann is researching the effects of cannabis on different cancers and they are also perfecting the extraction process so they can customize boils to the type of the disease there is a lot of optimism there about the medical and business potential but not everyone is on board critics arguing that cannabis is still a dangerous narcotic. you have an on going to. drop.
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a frontal. bone and. you're. being played when you're there up one part of my. question and they're coming i love and a lot going on my make up. the demand for medical marijuana is growing some advocacy groups estimate more than a 1000000 tide would be interested in getting cannabis treatments. dr one of the. runs one of the country's 1st medical marijuana clinics at a hospital she says the government's change of heart came as a surprise. to up in broome michael but. back home. she says when the clinic 1st opened its doors they were flooded with patients one. kept.
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under the coop. but. these days the hospital requires patients to phone in advance to check if they're eligible for cannabis treatment. the government has stipulated 38 conditions that qualify from allergies to cancer. but many still come hoping for america. it is. yet to. hide the role i have. been. all.
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by. patients who are given cannabis oil are tracked through their national identification number to make sure they don't go to another hospital to try to get more. pharmacists call them at home to ensure they are taking the correct dose and to collect data for research. on this one. but not everyone is this vigilant with their patients. at a temple in thailand's rule north buddhist monks grow their own cannabis and allow people to use it for treatment there are no doctors prescriptions or check up calls just come use their plants and stay until you feel better.
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be shot and his wife traveled 8 hours to reach the temple after hearing about it from a friend the child has been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer of the esophagus. by whom up in. the. fall. on. my. lawn. he's been told to take a couple of drops of cannabis oil every few hours to relieve his symptoms. says her husband doesn't like hospitals.
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made. the decision caused a rift in the family. but it was putting. her through enough that throughout iraq right now this really. is the founder of the clinic a former police officer he collaborates with the temple to teach patients about the end of his well. right now reading me back before part of our dr. never had. he claims the oil cures cancer and asks patients to stop all modern medication when they begin taking cannabis that they were. meant. for very bad few more. myself. i
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challenge him on his teachings cannabis really cure cancer. by the. good men make faith but. they came. forward with. that but they do. into a long board i like to think. it telling a 4. month time i look back i. said. i think. you're telling people to stop what if cannabis doesn't work long tech untac or that's a time when you will but the more developed. that i mean i like the real time bob is going to meet me and if i think he could we could turn back dr or make them but not people make i did it and see. what one tune is doing is controversial but he's adamant he won't stop he says the temple is the last hope for many patients.
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and. that. i don't talk to. the lead comic. that's on the move. i have made me think they may become well i would open. one tunes claims have not been scientifically proven and experts warn that cannabis oil dispensed outside of hospitals can be contaminated by pesticides and heavy metals. it's been 3 days since every child has been at the temple. he says he's now able to eat pain free for the 1st time since his diagnosis 2 months ago. it was my time and
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my. time. to. see. if he met me. without. comment coming. when. i knew to him no way. you. to tell me. since the new laws came into effect about a year ago there's been claims a can't miss can not only cure disease it can also provide a lucrative income. one consulting group estimates the thai cannabis
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industry could be worth more than $2000000000.00 by 2024 more than that top. politicians campaigned on these promises that i. hope. you know. when. to play in jordan paul. thank you but i hope you know. song you know tens of thousands of people were drawn to thailand's 1st cannabis best of all last year. exhibitors showed off their plans spoils an edible it's. a you tuber is wander the festival an art. even the prime minister is happy to promote the government's new mascot they call him dr conrad. this change of attitude is apparent in the traditional medicine industry almost 3000 traditional medicine practitioners are certified to prescribe cannabis
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compared to just 400 medical doctors i go to a traditional medicine clinic with the highest stamp of approval from the government i'm here at the cannabis clinic at the ministry of health and they're saying that patients can come in here and get free cannabis oil if they qualify so i'm going to go through the process and see if i can take cannabis oil home today. i check in with an m. and hand over my tie id card for their tracking systems. they take my blood pressure and ask about my medical history and my symptoms. i tell them how i've been having difficulty sleeping. with that the doctor says i qualify and can take the oil a day she assures me it's not much. in fact you would need to take half the bottle to feel a strong high. so i just received 2 bottles of cannabis or each
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. about $100.00 drops each. it's been prescribed for my insomnia. it took me less than 30 minutes to go through the entire process to get the oil just a few years ago using cannabis. dispensing cannabis would be completely legal . thailand's minister of health explains the government's sudden change of heart at the people who actually were ready for these products long before my party launched this campaign. we heard. what type people wanted on the campaign trail some people in your party are saying you can get up to $2000.00 per kilogram of cannabis is that realistic this is typical economic philosophy demand and supply people will have to compete in the quality of the product.
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someone that. good. seeds would take to r.g.s. . and some kind of. research and development. we'll have a better opportunity i ask him how far the laws will go recreation. the pope. we want people to have options in hearing them so. we want. this opportunity for moves for industrialists. thailand's openness towards new laws is tied to the country's deep history with the plant. traditionally thai people used cannabis to treat common ailments and spiced up noodle soup. the plant has been illegal for more than 70 years and few people know how to grow it anymore. i'm on the road
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with the dog who recently started a legal canvas farm but finds it difficult to get reliable information on cultivating a high quality crop in thailand. ahead i am one. based on hong. yeah ah. how the how about what my lot but they know my me you. know all the love that. pete carroll. opt for in my life by. the people of my. so we're on our way to meet an illegal grower called daddy down. to tell you about.
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how island far from bangkok. whose real name is lisa cohen has been secretly growing cannabis for more than 25 years he remembers a time when cannabis was commonplace on the island. born on the island was growing on a. time. fisherman they need some kind of. relaxation to go and work in the sea thing is very stressed. and using kind of a smoking ball it helps them to stay out in the sea without fear. he too has embraced cannabis is medical properties he gives out the oils he extracts by leaving stashes at the local conti shop for those who need it but earlier this year he was arrested for growing without
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a license. that doesn't bother john saddam she's excited to meet him dad. but you're going. to find one behind him. while having high value he shows jumps adonai the rooftop terrorists where he used to grow his plants before the police took them away on down and rope why it's not good what don't you know how much are you. cole indoor newtown there have been called off how my son jumble me your body i will oh yeah. i got my. good my god you're right oh he's now awaiting trial but he says he's not worried about being sent to prison . for poor but if you're going up. you don't matter where you.
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get down to business at a local restaurant. she confesses that she's having difficulty with the strain she's working with. all. who. may only. i don't know is known for perfecting the strain that can perform well in thailand's humid climate and wants to continue that work at work what i've tried to read now is this strain which can grow everywhere in tightening. you know. these should be good enough for medicine so it's not too expensive for regular people to try and. we're too afraid to get arrested.
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yeah. they will feel scared or afraid for us and there was thing that bad. i'm not. killing anyone i know any one. a developed buddhist he gives out his advice and his own oil is for free it's those seeking profit to worry him. to do business to stop the sale in their loss. this plant is a skiff from niger. through should learn how to grow how to use and how to help other people not to make money. as it is to make money is if we believe that. to to our solar
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power or my. making money is exactly what many people are banking on. early investors hope that being the 1st to break into the market will give them a leg up. and her sister john kwan run roughshod farm in thailand's northeast. they're known for their japanese melons and instagram friendly spots. but now it's one of thailand's newest legal cannabis farms through a collaboration with a private hospital which buys their crop. he. gives me a tour of their farm is well equipped with greenhouses and
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a legally mandated security system you have to pass locked doors and dozens of cameras before you can get a glimpse of these seedlings they don't want to be now they. are getting on to abide by the rules they must keep track of every part of every plant they thought while been taught how to get home if they banged. up. about. it on the home. they admit they still have a lot to learn. about it but i will. have no doubt. that when i read about how the people. going. to them i am. growing can amass also needs money and connections most farmers don't have jobs says some people question their background
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. that have a god. that i have. here . they are trying their best to keep costs down by making their own equipment and using solar power it's unclear if they'll ever turn a profit but they are ambitious haven't had it in. i'm on my way to meet tom cruise at some point a multimillionaire and big time investor he's
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a champion of the new laws. mr we are someone god was recently. he says cannabis products can make big money promises that it will the farmers out of poverty are unrealistic. what do you tell the thai farmers now. don't grow. don't grow even if the rules and regulations are clearly going to ask yourself who am i selling the products to i feel bad for a lot of people they're being lied to right because everybody wants the gold rush right everybody went in and says gee let's go dig for gold i mean end up with a lot of water. is it just politics legally on a medical part we kept a promise if you really need it you can come and get it for free. in regard to the economics of it i think we're still a little weak on that is it all politics what in life isn't.
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it it's been a month since we met the child was a night at the temple. by check in on them. for any. time at home how could. he tells me he's gained 3 kilograms even cracks a smile when i ask if the oil makes him high. almost. they don't know if the cancer is gone. but like so many involved with the cannabis
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industry in thailand they are hopeful. as a strictly prepares for bushfire season survivors of the last several catastrophic fires are still struggling whether one east follows one community's road to recovery and al jazeera. if you want to help save the world. into your own. after nearly 2 decades of conflict in afghanistan. the warring parties meet face to face at the negotiating table where watching them now we're in
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a different phase and wish the afghan can blame the united states the united states also looking at it with urgency it's a blast but i don't see that the more urgent need of the african some of the key players in the peace process talked out jazeera. this is al-jazeera. over there macleod visited us our live from doha coming up in the next 60 minutes taiwan's scrambles fighter planes as chinese military jets approach the island while a senior u.s. official is visiting taipei. carrying all they possessed to another temporary home thousands of refugees move into a new tent camp on the greek island of blood sports. hospital admissions doubling
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every 8 days concerns growing over a sharp increase in cope with 19 cases in.

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