Semarang – Diponegoro University’s Biotechnology study program on Wednesday, November 15, 2021 held a Visiting Professor event with the title “Production and Utilization of Medicinal Cannabis in Thailand”. This topic was presented directly by Prof. Nantakorn Boonkerd who is a researcher and lecturer from the School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree university of Technology of Thailand.
Prof. Nantakorn Boonkerd explained that the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L.) contains 1% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per dry weight, cannabinoid compounds (CBD), flavonoids and terpenes. Cannabis itself has many benefits in the medical and nutritional sectors, besides being able to be used as a source of food, oil, paper, livestock feed and others. In Thailand itself, this plant is developed for research purposes and medical purposes.
Based on information from tirto.id (December 15th, 2020), the use of THC can help to treat health problems such as epilepsy, anxiety, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS symptoms, pain, opioid dependence, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBD), multiple sclerosis, difficulty sleeping and movement disorders. While CBD is more intended to treat health problems such as anxiety, depression, inflammation, migraines, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), seizures, inflammatory bowel disease and psychosis or mental disorders.
Prof. Nantakorn Boonkerd added that to produce cannabis with high quality and high active compound for medical purposes, requires proper management of cultivation. Such as soil management, proper irrigation and pest control. In addition, the management of the cannabis plant must comply with the requirements of the cannabis plant.
This event was moderated directly by Dr. rer. nat. Anto Budiharjo, M.Biotech, who is a lecturer in Biotechnology at Diponegoro University. This event lasted for 2 hours and was enthusiastically attended by more than 200 participants from various institutions until the end of the event.