The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) has defended itself over claims of budget over-allocation for its first legal marijuana 100 square metre cultivation project, saying that most of the 10 million baht was spent on improving old facilities and security systems at the location.
Sirinuch Cheewanpisalnukul, the GPO's deputy director, said it was necessary to plant premium medical-grade marijuana for research and study.
Confiscated marijuana the GPO had received from police is of bad quality or contaminated, she said.
A GPO survey found that an old building at its offices in Pathum Thani's Thanyaburi district was the most appropriate location, with the second floor of the building renovated to provide two rooms for cultivation -- one for a seedling nursery and the other for the control system. Each room has four CCTV cameras to monitor activities, she said.
She said that 60% of the budget was for renovating the building and other system improvements for cultivation, while 30% was for setting up security systems, which include a fingerprint scanner for entry. A reserve power supply unit was also necessary because the growth cycle might be affected in the event of a power failure to the hydroponic lamps.
The state-owned drug-making agency was yesterday responding to criticism from a Facebook user who claimed that the cost of such a facility should only be 26,000 baht per square metre or around 2.6 million baht in total.
Ms Sirinuch said the indoor cultivation system requires electric light for 18-20 hours per day, together with an automated system for fertiliser and water delivery. Moreover, effective security is required to make sure that the plants are not stolen.
"We must do everything under the requirements of the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] and we also had to implement strong security measures because marijuana remains a controlled substance under the narcotics law. The authorities checked the site before granting us the green light to begin planting seeds," she said.
The GPO has already begun growing its first medical marijuana crop under an indoor method, which is very similar to the model used in the Netherlands.
"All processes are being carefully overseen by experts to make sure that the plants will be able to produce oil for extraction," added Ms Sirinuch.
The first-ever legal marijuana crop, to used for sublingual drops, will be ready in July. The GPO forecasts it will provide 12,500 millilitres in the first crop and 50,000 millilitres per year after that. The medicine will be tested on patients suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy treatment for cancer and certain neurological conditions.
