INTERVIEW 'Korea in need of medical marijuana'
By Kim Hyun-bin
Dr. Kwon Yong-hyun
Dr. Kwon Yong-hyun, head of the Korea Cannabinoid Association (KCA) says Korea needs to swiftly bring in medical cannabis to better treat patients in need.
“There are some types of diseases that can only be cured with medical marijuana, and it also helps in easing some symptoms and treatments,” Kwon said.
According to the association, there have been tens of thousands of studies and medical procedures over the years, which found medical marijuana to be effective in treating numerous diseases including epilepsy, atopic dermatitis, dementia and Parkinson's disease.
“When applying cannabis extract to atopic dermatitis patient's skin, it greatly eases the itching, however, importing the substance is totally banned,” said Lee Jung-lim, a mother of two children diagnosed with the disease. “I hope the government legalizes medical marijuana to help children that are suffering from atopic dermatitis.”
Some states in the U.S., several countries in Europe, and even conservative countries such as China and Japan have legalized medical marijuana. In a recent statement by the World Health Organization (WHO), it said cannabinoids don't harm the human body and supported the clinical benefits for athletes and active families.
“Korea needs to legalize medical marijuana so that patients can freely use the treatment, there needs to be a systematic reform to bring in the drug, following similar steps in the U.S., Japan, and other advanced countries where they have made breakthroughs in the field,” Kwon said.
In recent years, more countries have been allowing the use of medical marijuana expanding the global market exponentially. In 2014, global medical marijuana spending totaled $3.1 billion, according to Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics. By 2017, that figure more than doubled to $6.7 billion. Furthermore, with more countries starting to legalize the drug, the medical cannabis market is estimated to reach over 20 billion by 2025, according to Coherent Market Insights.
Last month, the Ministry of Food and Drug Administration announced that it is looking into ways to import drugs that contain medical cannabis to treat epilepsy and rare and incurable diseases. However, the process of acquiring the drug is complex as the patient will need to get a doctor's prescription and even approval from the drug ministry.
Even with the government's initiative, many experts say the method will be ineffective.
“Local doctors have no idea how to prescribe cannabinoids as they do not have prior experience, also it is very expensive as insurance does not cover it and it takes more than two months to import the drugs into the country,” Kwon said.
Legalizing medical marijuana has become a global trend in many advanced nations, however, Kwon pointed out that Koreans still perceive the drugs as dangerous and a harmful substance. Not only the public but also the government is skeptical in legalizing the drug as it could be misused for recreational use.
“There are ways to track the substance by using block chain technology when supplying and prescribing the drugs also there needs to be specific guidelines to whom can be prescribed to medical cannabis and educate accordingly. There are devices that evaluates if the person needs the treatment,” he said.
Kwon is the founder of nonprofit Korea Cannabinoid Association which officially launched early last week to bring awareness and to help legalize the drug.