Surat Kulsiri, 40, assistant headman of Ban Kliang, said he was growing cannabis to help treat his bed-ridden mother who suffers from many ailments. He claimed this mother’s condition had improved markedly, to a point where she could walk again, thanks to a marijuana-based concoction he made for her daily. However, he said he had nothing to do with the “ice” and has no idea where it came from.

Police seized one-metre-high marijuana plants, 40 saplings, five bags of marijuana seeds and 65g of “ice” from the suspect’s house.

Since marijuana is still a prohibited narcotic under Thai law, it is only allowed to be grown for medical research or used for treatment under strict criteria. Patients who need marijuana or who had already been using the herb were given until the end of May this year to register with the authorities.