A university in Thailand is growing hundreds of cannabis plants for medical research.

The Khon Kaen University is the first place in the Isan northeastern region of the country to be allowed to cultivate marijuana. It has successfully grown more than 700 hemp plants in 1,644 square metres of land.

University chancellor Chanchai Pantongviriyakul said the plants are to be used strictly for medical purposes.

He said: ‘The cannabis that we’ve planted today is a part of a research to develop the strand of cannabis for medical purposes.’

The plants will take up to 150 days before they can bloom and extracted to produce CBD oil.

Waste materials from processed Cannabis will be given to the university’s Veterinary department to see if they can repurpose them into animal food.

Marijuana cultivation in Thailand is currently is only done by government agencies or closely-regulated organisations. Illegal possession is punishable by a ten-year prison sentence and traffickers could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Last year, laws were passed to allow private medical operators to grow and trade the crop for both export and import. However, marijuana cultivation is currently done solely by government agencies or closely regulated organisations.