THAI GOVERNMENT ALLOWS HOSPITALS TO MANUFACTURE CANNABIS-BASED MEDICINES | TRICHOMES Morning Buzz
July 30, 2020
Today in cannabis news, the EPA is investing in hemp, Thailand’s government is stepping forward in the field of cannabis medicine, and bad news for more unsuspecting medical patients in Missouri.
The Morning Buzz presented by TRICHOMES brings you late-breaking news that tells you what’s happening within the cannabis industry.
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First up today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is Funding Hemp-Pulping Research in California,
According to Hemp Industry Daily, a project to make the process of extracting cellulose fibers from hemp more sustainable is getting a fresh round of funding from the EPA.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, are working on new methods of pulping hemp plants to process hemp stalks without leaving behind toxic chemicals known as “black liquor.”
Engineering professor Charles Cai has developed a method to pulp hemp stalks and hurd that leaves behind only mineral ash. His pulping method won a grant last year from the EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet Program. The school announced this week that the EPA has awarded Cai an additional $74,000 to study commercial applications for the process.
The university now plans to work with hemp companies to commercialize the method, including creating large hempcrete blocks. Research partners include: InnovaCan, Hempire USA, Match Patch Pro, and The Hurd Co.
The next phase of EPA funding runs through 2022.
**Next, Thailand is Now Allowing Hospitals to Produce Cannabis Medicines
According to Ganjapreneur, hospitals in Thailand can now make and provide cannabis-based medicines selected from a government-approved list of 16 recipes for traditional Thai medicines that contain cannabis as a base ingredient, the Bangkok Post reports.
Dr. Marut, Director-General of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, said that hospitals in the country are now free to make the medicines so long as there is an expert in traditional Thai medicine on duty to prepare them. The medicines were traditionally prescribed to help treat common illnesses in each region of the country.
Dr. Marut said the demand for traditional medicine treatments has increased so the department has allowed 152 hospitals to expand their cannabis farms. There are currently 291 units offering cannabis-based medicines at state-run medical outlets throughout the country, and more than 60,000 cannabis-based treatments have been issued so far this year, according to the report.
Thailand legalized the medical use of cannabis in late 2018, making it the first Southeast Asian country to do so. Adult-use cannabis, however, remains prohibited
** And last up today, Another 350 Cannabis Patients in Missouri Fall Victim to a Fake Medical Certification Scheme
At least 350 more Missouri patients have reportedly been scammed by fake physician certifications for the state’s medical cannabis program, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The number of total affected patients is about 1,000 after Department of Health Officials announced last month that 600 patients were victims of the fraud.
All of the patients believed they were talking to a real physician when completing the program paperwork required by the state; however, the person on the other end of the phone wasn’t the doctor listed on their certification paperwork and may not have been a doctor at all. Health officials believe that all of the affected patients completed the approval process through an entity known as WeedCerts. According to the report, the company was offering medical cannabis certifications for $50; they usually run $150-$200.
Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Senior Services, said at least one other physician’s signature was fraudulently used in the scheme and that the agency has conducted random checks of the state’s 55,000-plus certifications to make sure they were legitimate.
Affected patients have 30 days to re-certify for the program.
**That was today’s buzz! Thanks for listening…for more cannabis news and insights from industry professionals, and a place to discuss these stories and others, visit TRICHOMES.com
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