A new course about medical cannabis will be offered starting next year by the Office of the Non-Formal and Informal Education.

A team of experts on medical cannabis is working to create content for the course, said Assoc Prof Phatchari Sisang, an expert in research and development at  Srinakharinwirot University.

"Marijuana and Hemp Studies for Smart Use" will be worth 3 credits and take a total of 120 hours to complete, said Assoc Prof Phatchari, who is on the working team.

Designed by the Office of the Non-Formal and Informal Education together with Chaopraya Abhaiphubejhr Hospital, the course will consist of seven parts:

1: Reasons Why We Need to Learn about Marijuana and Hemp (10 hours); 2: Marijuana and Hemp as Medicinal Plants (20 hours); 3: Dangers and Benefits of Marijuana and Hemp (15 hours); 4: Laws about Marijuana and Hemp (15 hours); 5: Marijuana and Hemp in Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (20 hours); 6: Marijuana and Hemp in Modern Medicine (20 hours), and 7: How to Use Marijuana and Hemp as Medicines To Their Fullest Benefits.

"This course is not about growing marijuana. Instead, it will provide knowledge about the pros and cons of marijuana and how to use it appropriately," Assoc Prof Phatchari said.

Suphaphon Pitiphon, the president of the Thai traditional medicine and herbs department at Chaopraya Abhaiphubejhr Hospital, said the course will give basic and necessary knowledge about marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Sangkhom Thopurin, an expert on educational institution management,  who is a member of the team designing the course, said it would be better to put in place a formal study course on marijuana and hemp than to let enthusiasts struggle to find information on their own from elsewhere.