THE REJECTION of one cannabis patent is not enough, activists said yesterday after the Commerce Ministry agreed to turn down one of 12 applications for registration of patents.

A review concluded that one of the patent applications violated the Thai Intellectual Property Law and will be rejected within this week, Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said yesterday.

He acknowledged concerns over potential legal issues related to cannabinoid drug patents following Thailand’s effort to legalise medical cannabis as Thai researchers develop new cannabinoid drugs.

Sontirat said that the Intellectual Property Department was aware of the public’s concern about the patent issue but the problem was complicated, as the Intellectual Property Law is very complex.

The applications have already been through many steps in the process and so the department has to be careful in finding a way out of this problem, said Sontirat.

He said after considering the controversial cannabis patent applications starting last week, the Intellectual Property Department had decided to reject one patent application. That application was an attempt to register the patent of a natural cannabis extract, which is against Article 9 of the Intellectual Property Act.

“Of the 11 cannabis patent applications that the public sector has found, only one application was found to violate the Thai Intellectual Property Law,” said Sontirat. “I have already asked the Intellectual Property Department director-general to carefully follow instructions as per Article 30 and reject this application. This procedure can be done within this week.”

FTA Watch vice president Kannikar Kijtiwatchakul said the action was insufficient. Rejecting a single application means nothing, as there are still at least 11 cannabinoid drug patent applications still in the Intellectual Property Department’s system, she said.

“Of the total 12 patent applications that we have found, six of them are currently in the process of advertising, so we have asked the Intellectual Property Department to examine these applications. And if they are ineligible to register the patent, the department must drop these applications immediately,” Kannikar said.

“The new patent applications must show that they have a new innovation [involved], and they do not conflict with Article 9 of the Intellectual Property Act. If the department considers any of these applications eligible for patent registration, it also has to inform the public right away.”

The activist urged the department to reveal all cannabis-related patent applications held in its system. She claimed there were many more unknown cannabis patent applications that have not yet been discovered in the department’s system.

Addressing the issue of the number of cannabis patent applications, Sontirat said that as of now two medicinal applications had already been abandoned and so none existed in the system.

The remaining eight patent applications are not for cannabis extracts, but instead are medicines that include cannabis extracts as one of their ingredients and so can legally proceed through the patent registration system.

Thai researchers have voiced concerns that the issue could disrupt the current process to legalise medical cannabis as well as affect research and development efforts of Thai researchers for cannabinoid medication. Responding to the issue, Sontirat said the intellectual property law aims to encourage innovation and new inventions. Thai researchers will have no problem in developing new drugs from cannabis and can also register patents on their drug formulas to protect their innovations.

BioThai Foundation remains concerned about the eight cannabis patent applications still in the system. Despite the Commerce Minister’s comments that these applications do not violate Article 9 of the Intellectual Property Law, the foundation said they may violate Article 5, which requires the new patent application to specify the new innovation related to the registered invention, according to the foundation.

BioThai Foundation explained that the medical formula in the applications might replicate Thai traditional medical wisdom, which has long used cannabis to treat many sicknesses, and hence will not be a new invention, the foundation argued.

Such misuse of antibiotics in the fishery sector has been reported from various areas in Thailand, including their use in floating baskets in rivers, said Niyada Kiatying-Angsulee, manager of the university’s Drug System Monitoring and Development Centre.

She urged the authorities to check and stop such antibiotic-medicine misuse, which was done to prevent disease among aquaculture-farmed animals, according to some farmers.

“It is worrying because studies have showed that there would be 10 million drug resistance-related [human] deaths per year in Thailand in the next three decades if nothing concrete is done to curb this issue now,” Niyada explained.

In related news, Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Sukhum Kanchanapimai on Monday confirmed that he had already assigned the Food and Drug Administration and the Medical Sciences Department of the ministry to join with respective provincial health offices to check on orange orchards’ reported use of the antibiotic amoxicillin to treat citrus greening disease, following the Drug System Monitoring and Development Centre’s report of such misuse late last week.

“The drug-resistance issue is a national matter that must be dealt with [by acting on all aspects] together,” Sukhum said.

The rallies and related events promote public awareness about the importance of exercise, the love and unity of family and society and road safety.

The main event, a 39-kilometre ride from the Royal Plaza in Bangkok to Lat Pho Park in Samut Prakan and back, is slated to be led by His Majesty the King. Applications for that ride opened on Monday.

The Bangkok ride will also be further divided into nine riding groups and routes, with up to a total of 100,000 people participating, so that people can choose their starting point into the ride. The routes are:

1. A 4.2-kilometre-long ride with 8,000 participants starting from Khon Muang Plaza;

2. A 16-km ride with 10,000 participants starting from in front of the old Government Lottery Office;

3. A 6.2-km ride with 12,000 people launching at Nang Loeng Racecourse;

4. An 11-km-long ride with 20,000 people launching from Sanam Luang;

5. A 20.6-km ride with 4,000 people beginning from Somdet Phra Pinklao Hospital;

6. A 23.2-km ride with 5,000 people beginning under the Taksin Bridge;

7. A 24.3-km ride with 15,000 people commencing at Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University and running to Phra Pra Daeng intersection and back to Wong Wian Yai;

8. A 23.7-km ride with 15,000 people going from Phra Pra Daeng Arcade to Wong Wian Yai and back;

9. A 23-km ride with 11,000 people going from Suphanawa Group Warehouse back to Wong Wian Yai.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, a large number of people showed up at the city hall to apply for the rally on the first day. It was expected that 15,000 people would participate in the 28-km-long ride. It will start from King Bhumibol’s 80th Birthday Anniversary Sports Complex, and then travel Road Number 304 (Ratchasima-Pak Thong Chai) to Suranaree University of Technology and back.

In Phichit, many people showed up at the city hall and 12 district offices to apply for the 26-km-long ride through the province’s key tourist attractions.

Organisers expect at least 5,000 participants, said provincial governor Worapan Suwannut. One applicant, Suthep Samsi, 68, from Pho Preathap Chang district said this event was very good as riding a bicycle is a good exercise for elderly people like him who wish to keep strong and enjoy better sleep.

The rides are held ahead of the “Un Ai Rak Klai Kwam Nao Sainam Haeng Rattanakosin” (feeling the warmth of love amid the cold at the River of Rattanakosin) fair which, to be held December 9-January 19 at the Royal Plaza and adjacent Sanam Sua Pa.

For more information, visit http://www.bikeunairak2018.com or call the government agency hotline 1111.

Pol General Chalermkiat Srivorakan, deputy police commissioner general, spoke to reporters after chairing a video conference with the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau and nine provincial police bureaus to prepare for ensuring security for the Loy Krathong night.

He said there will be some 200 venues for Loy Krathong celebrations around the country, with 30 of them will considered major venues.

Four of the major venues are located in Bangkok – Asiatique riverside shopping mall, Icon Siam, Rama VIII Bridge and the Chulalongkorn University campus.

He said about 20,000 revellers are expected at Asiatique, 50,000 at Icon Suam, 8,000 at Rama VIII Bridge and 5,000 at Chulalongkorn University.

Chalermkiat said he has instructed all bureaus to make sure that entertainment venues in their jurisdiction prevent people under 20 from entering the venues.

He said the police would strictly enforce the bans on firecrackers and fireworks. Celebrants will not be allowed to release flying lanterns outside the permitted areas. Those firing guns into the air or driving while intoxicated will also face arrests.

Apart from the 55,000 deployed police officers to be deployed, another 10,000 will be kept on standby, Chalermkiat said.

Representatives of the operators of the private buses that operate under concession from the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority rallied to remind the transport minister of his earlier promise to help them shoulder increased costs.

They said they want the fare for non-air-conditioned buses to be raised from Bt9 to Bt12. For air-conditioned buses, they want to collect a starting fare of Bt15 with incremental increases of Bt2 based on distance.

They also demanded a fare of Bt20 for the new air-conditioned buses for the first 20km and Bt25 for distances longer than 20km.

The operators claimed that the costs have risen since the government forced them to change from diesel fuel to NGV fuel and that traffic congestion as well as the rental fee at bus depots had added an even greater burden.

The new rate is an improvement on the current pay scheme of Bt600 a month for those aged 60-69, Bt700 for those 70-79, Bt800 to those 80-89 and Bt1,000 for those over 90.

The hike in the allowance is part of a proposal by the Fiscal Policy Office which has been submitted for Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong’s consideration, she said.

Other measures in the proposal include a Bt400 house-rental assistance fee for each qualified Thai senior who has no home of his/her own; a Bt500-Bt1,000-per month allowance towards transport for eligible seniors who need to travel to receive medical treatment, which could be funded by the sum set aside under the welfare card for train and bus fares; and vocational training in caring for elderly bed-ridden individuals for “phase 2” welfare card holders to improve their skills and make them eligible for state hire to take care of the registered ailing seniors in the community in exchange for a minimum wage of Bt308-Bt330 per day.

The proposal also includes the provision of state welfare to “grateful children” who return home to take care of their elderly parents, she added.

Narumon said the proposal has not yet been approved and is still being considered by the minister in term of appropriateness, feasibility and whether there is enough budget to cover the additional payments.

The minister would consult with the Fiscal Policy Office again before passing this proposal to the Cabinet by the end of this year so the approved measures could be implemented to aid needy elderly persons from next year.

This proposal is in line with Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak’s policy for the ministry to formulate additional measures to aid Thai seniors and to add another Bt50 billion to the Pracharat Welfare for Grassroots Economy Fund, bringing it to Bt100 billion in total, to support these measures, she said.