Home – Raffles Gymnastics Academy
Dear All,
RGA has reopened! We will be taking extra precautionary measures as we reopen our gymnasium to resume our classes:
1. Everyone entering the gym would have to do a one-time travel declaration form valid till 30 September 2020
2. All persons entering the gym has to Check In and Check Out via the SafeEntry system
a. All gymnasts, coaches and staff have to check in when they come for their respective classes and check out upon leaving the gym
b. Please present your checked in SafeEntry pass to the front desk staff before taking your temperature
3. All persons entering the gym should be wearing a face mask. We will not be able to allow you into the premises without a face mask on. For students, masks can be taken off when performing strenuous activities
4. Temperature taking (equal or greater than 37.5 degrees will be sent home and advised to see a doctor) and hand sanitisation of all students, coaches and staff at intervals (i.
5. All persons entering the gym has to fill up the mandatory Health Declaration Form. This is to facilitate contact tracing and have our gymnasts and staff declare their temperature regularly as well.
6. Social distancing
a. Various areas in the gym have been specifically marked out and activities have been modified to accommodate to the new social distancing guidelines
i. Group activities are limited to 5 people. Groups must not interact and each group will remain 3 metres apart at all times
ii. 2 metres will be maintained between each student while exercising
iii. 1 metre between each individual when waiting for their turn
b. Parents/guardians are strictly not allowed in the gym
c. Parents/guardians are advised to drop-off/ pick-up students right before and after classes. Waiting around the gym is not encouraged.
7. Capped capacity of 10 square metre per person
a. We will follow a conservative measure to allow only 50 students in the gym at any one time
8. Regular thorough sanitisation of all equipment
Thank you for your continuous support and understanding as we practice social responsibility to stay safe and healthy.
RGA Team
Recreational Programmes – Raffles Gymnastics Academy
Bouncy Kidz (For those between 24-36 months)
Recommended for boys and girls ages 2-3 years. Your child will playfully learn gymnastics, gross motor skills, and basic sports skills in a safe, fun, and age-appropriate class that blends physical, cognitive and daily living skills. Children begin to learn: independence, how to follow directions, gymnastics terminology, basic gymnastics positions, and fundamental skills in our Edu-Gym as well as the Gymnastics Gym. 50 mins
Kinder Kidz (For those between 3-5 Years)
Recommended for boys and girls ages 2-3 years. Recommended for boys and girls ages 3-5 years. Your child will learn in a fun and exciting environment the wonders of movement and gymnastics.
Fun Kidz Beginner & Intermediate (For those 5 Years and Above)
In these classes the fundamentals of gymnastics will be taught on all four of the girl’s events and all six of the boy’s events including:
For Girls
- Vault
- Uneven Bars
- Balance Beam
- Floor Exercise
For Boys
- Floor Exercise
- Pommel Horse
- Rings
- Vault
- Parallel Bars
- Horizontal Bar
- Trampoline and Tumble Trampoline
- Strength and Conditioning
- Floor and Beam dance/ ballet combinations
Each class begins with a general warm-up, conditioning and flexibility training. During the class the children will work on three to four pieces of equipment. Emphasis will be placed on learning new skills/routines for the Developmental Program as well as reinforcing good basic fundamentals. Strong emphasis is placed on body position and awareness and of course safety is heavily emphasized.
Big Kidz Adult Class (For those 20 Years and Above)
This is an adult gymnastics class for ages 20 yrs and older. The class requires no prior gymnastics experience and begins with a group warm-up/stretch, and then proceeds with basic tumbling skills on the floor and tumble track. Students learn handstands, rolls, cartwheels, round-offs, handsprings and salts. Time is also spent on conditioning and apparatus work.
Our Company – Raffles Gymnastics Academy
About Raffles Gymnastics Academy
Founded in 2008, the Raffles Gymnastics Academy has gone some way in producing creditable gymnasts and has won many awards. The Academy’s vision is for a child’s dream of becoming a gymnast of tomorrow to be realized.
The Academy spreads its message of quality in training and programmes through various media. It employs overseas, experienced and qualified coaches to give it a high standard of coaching.
The Academy offers a wide range of both recreational and competitive programmes. It is privately managed. The Founder & CEO takes a personal interest in all feedback and suggestions. It has a new, well-equipped and air-con gymnasium at the Upper Bukit Timah location. It also has a physio-room for gymnasts who desire to maintain good and nutritional diets, and it offers different sports massages and physiotherapy to those who are in need of them.
The Academy also organises birthday parties, anniversary functions and boot camps to give the pupils fun and laughter, to offset its more serious training menu.
The Academy keeps its coaches abreast of knowledge, skills and developments in the gymnastics field. It has a Vision and Mission Statement to direct its time and resources and a Code of Core Values to ensure consistent customer service and good value deliveries. Goals and aspirations of the Academy are also laid down to focus the coaches’ and staff members’ efforts.
In short, the Academy is strongly committed to developing good gymnasts and offering a rich variety of personalized and training regimes to suit individual, schools’ and corporate needs.
VISION
We are driven by passion to provide world-class gymnastics activities to those who aspire to be the gymnasts of tomorrow. Through recreational or competitive programmes, we strive to excel and realize the highest potential in every child, making his or her dreams come true.
MISSION
Our mission is to provide a fun, safe and progressive gymnastics programme for each and every child.
CORE VALUES
· PROFESSIONAL & CARING
We are professional in coaching our pupils but without a doubt, gentle and caring for their well-being.
· INDIVIDUALS
We believe that each pupil is an individual with his/her own uniqueness, and grows at his/her own pace.
· RESPECT
We show respect for their parents, understand their concerns and be proactively helpful to them.
· SINCERE
We are sincere in our interactions with one another.
· DISCIPLINED
We are disciplined workforce and we are committed to achieving excellence i our set goals.
GOALS & ASPIRATIONS
· It is all about gymnastics.
· We keep our coaches abreast of knowledge, skills and developments in the gymnastics field.
· Awards measure our standards. They are important. But more important is the standard we set in the pursuit of exellence in gymnastics.
· The Academy satisfies the needs and expectations of parents, guardians and friends.
· The Academy will adapt and change with times to keep it current to meet the demands of tomorrow.
gymnastics classes singapore
Unfortunately, his wife and two of his children died during their stay in Santiniketan and this left Rabindranath distraught.











Raffles Young Academy
What We Do
We are individuals each with minimally 20 or more years of senior management experiences in the education and supporting industries. We do not rest on our laurels despite our experiences – instead we remain passionate and constantly seek innovative implementation in education; fine tuning methodology, questioning and increasing efficiencies to bring exciting benefits to our students, teachers in our collective quest for knowledge and the application of knowledge.
Raffles Young Academy works with investors and developers to start, operate and manage school business from standalone Kindergartens to an entire K12 campus spanning Kindergarten to Pre-University levels either within a single campus or across multiple campus sites.
We become an integral part of the school board and act as the school operating manager – shouldering overall roles and responsibilities for the entire school’s operation.
School operators have the following core focus:
1. Financial goals and operations
2. Curriculum and academic excellence
A school business is a perennial business. K12 schooling is necessary for an individual’s and society’s well-being and growth. Good K12 education imparts important life skills which has direct influence on an individual’s overall skills, well-being and character development, and enduring contribution to mankind.
Our Investors/Partners
RYA works with investors (private individuals/companies, or professional funds) to provide school management and operations either through value enhancing acquisition model or from the ground up.
A private school business must take into account the target community it serves such as its affordability, student’s academic certification and pathway to further studies in Universities.
Hence, factors such as location of premises, government regulation, staff student ratio, curriculum time-tabling, staff hiring and development, student certification and proficiency levels are important on-going considerations and operations.
Raffles Young Academy will advise on a prudent amount of operating investment based on a level of economies of scale needed for operation, pre and post operation timeline and financial model. We are responsible to investors on the entire spectrum of the school business operation; this includes evaluating new sites, construction, renovation and licensing, ownership transfer in the event of acquisition of existing operations, providing the full spectrum of management required to start, license, obtain IB/iGCE accreditation (IBPYP, IB, GCE, iGCSE), hiring, training and management of staff and operations, provide and manage curriculum operations, seeking financial returns and community goodwill for our investors.
Small Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
About the Olympiad
Results of participation in the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren and the Olympiad for schoolchildren of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) 2016-2017
Results of participation in the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren and the Olympiad for schoolchildren of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) 2017-2018
Results of participation in the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren and the Olympiad for schoolchildren of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) 2018-2019
Results of participation in the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren and the Olympiad for schoolchildren of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) 2019-2020
Results of participation in the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren and the Olympiad for schoolchildren of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) 2020-2021
Description:
All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren and Olympiad for schoolchildren of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) are held in 32 general subjects in 4 stages:
- school;
- municipal;
- regional;
- All-Russian.
Organize the regional, municipal and school stages. State authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation that implement state administration in the field of education.
The final stage takes place in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, selected by the Ministry of Education and Science in accordance with the applications submitted to the Central Organizing Committee of the VOSH. Methodological support of the Olympiad assignments of the final and regional stages of the All-School School is provided by the Central Subject-Methodical Commissions (TSMK), and the municipal and school stages are provided by regional and municipal PMC in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
It is important that any student of grades 5-11 can, on a voluntary basis, take part in the open school stage of the Olympiad and then move along the Olympic elevator, taking into account their results and selection rules for the next stage. Participation in the Olympiad is free. At present, this is the largest intellectual competition in Russia, in which more than 6 million students of grades 5-11 participate annually, and unites teachers-mentors, university teachers, researchers, representatives of various state and public organizations in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation …
The procedure for holding the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren is approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Olympiad for schoolchildren of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) – by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
Benefits for winners and prize-winners of the Olympiads
The 1st Youth Olympic Games in Singapore – a beautiful start to a great history
Anton Korovkin (archery) became the only Belarusian champion of the 1st Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Svetlana Makshtareva (jumping on a trampoline), Ilya Chergeiko (bullet shooting), Elena Novogrodskaya (hammer throw), Arina Sharapa (rhythmic gymnastics) brought home the silver medals of Singapore-2010. Vita Volnova won bronze in judo competition. Belarusian athletes fought for medals in track and field athletics, cycling, rowing, bullet shooting, artistic gymnastics, kayaking and canoeing, swimming, trampoline jumping, modern pentathlon, archery, weightlifting, Greco-Roman wrestling, boxing, freestyle wrestling, rhythmic gymnastics, judo, sailing, table tennis.
The program of the first Youth Olympics included 26 sports. The same number was presented at the 2012 London Olympics.Not without innovations. Instead of classic basketball, street streetball was played. Cycling competitions were held in a new format. Teams of three boys and one girl competed in three disciplines – BMX, mountain bike and highway racing. Mixed relay races were held for the first time in swimming. In fencing, guys and girls competed in one team.
Ambassadors of the 1st Youth Olympic Games Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Elena Isinbaeva met with young athletes.
“I know how important it is when you are young to have mentors to help you focus and dream. I am incredibly happy to be an ambassador for the first Youth Olympic Games, to inspire and encourage young athletes here in Singapore and children around the world, ”Usain Bolt shared his emotions.
The Youth Olympic Games in Singapore were remembered by the participants not only for the competition. The organizers have prepared a number of unique events. The athletes experienced a real “Adventure on the Island” – a trip to the island of Pulau Ubin.A visit to Pulau Ubin inspired young people to think about how to live in harmony with nature. Exploration Journeys provided insight into environmental issues at HortPark and Marina Barrage, two of Singapore’s environmental attractions. The World Cultural Village became a platform for an “explosion” of creativity, the energy of different cultures, where everyone represented their country and learned a lot of interesting things about others.
The 1st Youth Olympic Games in Singapore were an excellent start for the Youth Olympic Movement. And what began so brightly should only get better in the future.
Press service of the NOC of Belarus
Photo: Olympic.org
The Russian national team successfully performed at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. On account of our athletes 20 gold medals and the second place in the overall standings – after the team of China. Having studied the final protocols, Izvestia predicted which of the heroes of the current Games is capable of performing equally well, if not at the adult 2012 Olympics in London, then certainly in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Viktoria Komova, 15 years old (artistic gymnastics). In Singapore, this petite girl has won three gold medals, including in the individual all-around. But most importantly, I amazed the specialists with the incredible complexity and maturity of the program. Her advantage over her rivals was so great that even a serious blot did not prevent her from winning the absolute superiority. The judges unconditionally put the Russian woman in first place.
“Vika is already the leader of the Russian national team. She brilliantly won the adult national championship, and in exercises on the uneven bars she performs an element that no one in the world can repeat.Only the age limit will not allow her to compete at the October World Championships in Rotterdam and call the flight over the uneven bars by her own name. But by London these “shortcomings” will be eliminated. In the year of the 2012 Olympics, Komova will turn 17 years old. This is the best time for big victories, “the All-Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation told Izvestia.
By the way, Vika could have had more medals if the doping controllers had not tortured the girl at midnight on the eve of the second day of the final competition.As a result, not getting enough sleep, Komova lost her concentration and won “only” bronze in floor exercises. It should be added that the genes of this girl are the most athletic. In 1985, her mother, Vera Kolesnikova, won the world championship as part of the USSR national team, and in 1986 she became the winner of the first Goodwill Games in Moscow.
Andrey Ushakov, 18 years old (swimming). At the Games in Singapore, a native of Novokuznetsk, now playing for the famous Volgograd Olympic Reserve Center, won two gold medals – in the 200 meter freestyle swimming and in the 4×100 meter combined relay – and silver in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay.But at the same time he remained dissatisfied. “I wanted to improve my personal record here, but the stars did not agree. As a result, I lost 0.7 seconds to myself at 200 meters,” the champion grumbles, confidently knocking on the door of the country’s main team.
“We are closely watching Andrei and are happy with his progress. Not every junior manages to swim 200 meters in 1 minute 49 seconds, and he did it at the recent European Championship. I think that in a year Ushakov will be able to break into the main squad and increase in the team is already in serious competition in the fight for tickets to London “, – suggests the head coach of the Russian national swimming team Andrei Vorontsov.
Alexandra Merkulova, 15 years old (rhythmic gymnastics). A year ago, Izvestia already presented this athlete as a rising star in Russian rhythmic gymnastics. Then Sasha not only confidently won the final of the Spartakiad of students of Russia, but was also included in the reserve composition of the first national team of the country. The confident victory of Merkulova in Singapore only confirmed our prediction: a strong gymnast is growing in our sport, whose talent is carefully looked after and developed by the mentor of the national team Irina Viner.
In the next season, Alexandra will move to the senior category. True, for a place in the 2012 Olympic team, according to experts, it will be difficult for her to fight because of the highest competition. But for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Merkulova has a chance to become the undisputed leader of the team.
Daria Gavrilova, 16 years old (tennis). The Singapore victory is the second major achievement of the Russian tennis player. We will remind, in June last year, Gavrilova loudly declared herself, for the first time in her career she made her way to the final of the Roland Garros junior tournament in Paris.But if then she could not win the main prize, then today she showed a strong character and achieved success in the battle with the Chinese woman Zheng Saisai, beating her rival in two games. Does this mean that a future star of the caliber of Elena Dementieva or Dinara Safina is rising in Russia?
“I am glad of Gavrilova’s success, but I would not rush to conclusions. If only because Daria’s move from Russia to the French tennis academy did not have the best effect on her game. A year and a half ago she was the first number in the European rating in her age group. , and today rolled back to the 21st position.The girl has a talent, but she needs to work painstakingly, “- expresses concern the senior coach of the Russian national team Vladimir Kamelzon.
Maria Kuchina, 17 years old (athletics). This season the young high jumper from Kabardino-Balkaria justifies the advances issued. In June, the organizers of the European selection for the first Olympic Youth Games chose Maria as the “face of the competition”, decorating her with a portrait of official posters, posters and booklets.At the same time, Masha was most pleased with the victory over her main rival Alicia Trost from Italy, whom she could not jump over last year. Well, in Singapore, Kuchina jumped 1.89 meters and secured a psychological advantage over the Italian, who is again second.
This year Maria graduated from high school and decided to move from her native Prokhladny to Volgograd, where there is a strong high jump school, whose pupil is the Olympic champion of Athens-2004 Elena Slesarenko.And if not for London 2012, then for Rio 2016 a new leader should appear in the first team.
* * *
Results of the Youth Olympic Games
Table 1
Smoke from the East Asia is ready to abandon the penalty for marijuana.

Legalization, whether full or partial, is sweeping the planet: Uruguay, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand. Next in line are Mexico, Greece and even Muslim Malaysia. The country has long competed with Thailand for the championship in Southeast Asia, but this time it lost.The kingdom turned out to be a pioneer in the legalization of the drug – albeit so far only for medical purposes. Will other countries in the region, known for harsh punishments for drug-related crimes, follow in their footsteps, or will Thailand become a local drug capital – “Lenta.ru” figured out.
In Russia, marijuana is recognized as a dangerous drug, its use and distribution is prohibited by law. This material does not promote the sale and distribution of drugs.”Lenta.ru” calls for avoiding drug use.
In October, Canada became the second country in the world to allow marijuana to be used just because one wants to. To do this, Canadians do not need to suffer from depression or chronic pain. This decision did not cause much shock, the inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere are already allowed a lot. However, the innovation was quickly reacted on the other side of the globe: following the legalization, the South Korean authorities warned their citizens that they would be punished at home for excessive use of the benefits of Western civilization.China followed suit. Citizens, however, did not promise to punish, but they were officially asked to stay away from drugs. And the Chinese authorities, as you know, find it difficult to refuse a request.
Asia is one of the regions with the most severe penalties for drug-related crimes. In the Philippines, for example, there has been a large-scale war on illegal substances for several years. President Rodrigo Duterte even confessed to extrajudicial killings during the campaign. According to official government figures, 5,000 people were killed in the two years of the fight against drugs, the international criminal court called the figure 8,000, and some human rights organizations even say 12,000 were killed at the hands of the government. At the same time, Duterte himself admitted that he uses illegal marijuana for pep while traveling abroad. Whether he was joking or telling the truth is incomprehensible.
A Hindu sadhu prepares to use marijuana during the Mahashivaratri (“Great Night of Shiva”) festival, Kathmandu, Nepal
Photo: Navesh Chitrakar / Reuters
Similar campaigns have previously been conducted in “legalized” Thailand and Indonesia. Now there, as well as in China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, drug crimes are punishable by death.In general, in Asia, any drug is treated quite strictly. But it was not always so.
Marijuana is a foreign concept for Asians, in this part of the world the substance has long been called ganja (the word marijuana has Latin American roots). Ganja is a Sanskrit word, and it appeared in India, where the drug was widespread and considered an integral part of religious life. Cannabis was consumed using a clay or wooden chillum pipe, and it was associated with the god Shiva.
From India, ganja came to Southeast Asia.According to Jim Plamondon of the Thai Cannabis Corporation, the drug has traditionally been used as a pain reliever in the country. “Cannabis has been harvested along with other medicinal herbs for thousands of years,” he says. – It was mostly received by women. They worked in rice fields and had back pain. For lunch, we ate rice with chicken and cannabis, and then went back to work. ”
Mural depicting a Hindu ascetic sadhu with a chillum, Rajasthan, India
Image: Joachim Hiltmann / imagebroker / Globallookpress.com
The fun ended in 1961 when cannabis, along with synthetic drugs such as LSD, cathinone and ecstasy, were included in Schedule I of the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. At that time, marijuana was named a “highly addictive” substance, along with opium, cocaine and heroin, and became illegal almost all over the world.
However, the global ban on ganja was imposed from outside Southeast Asia, according to Martin Zelsma, head of the drug policy research program at the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. According to him, in the middle of the 20th century, many countries in the region resisted the introduction of new rules. “At the time when the convention was adopted, decolonization was in full swing. Countries became independent and tried to preserve their traditional culture, but they had much less power than the former metropolises, ”he says. The United States played a key role in enforcing laws to ban cannabis, Jelsma said.
Plamondon believes that the ban on marijuana was a side effect of the ban on opium.Since 1839, the world has watched the Qing dynasty in China decline due to the opium wars. Millions of Chinese have become drug addicts in a matter of years, unable to maintain the integrity of their country. According to Plamondon, the medicinal properties of cannabis and the positive effects of its use became known in the West relatively recently, only after experts began to conduct research and experiments.
Several decades have passed since ganja was outlawed, and the authorities have already decided to return it to legal status. In Thailand, the parliament has been discussing drug use for medical purposes. In early November, the National Legislative Assembly formally proposed legalizing marijuana and kratom. The result was the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes and its use for research in December 2018. However, the people are not yet ready for permission to use substances for recreational purposes, said the deputy Somchai Savangkarn. “After legalization for medical purposes – maybe in six months or a year, if society is ready, marijuana can become a dietary supplement.Someday this will probably lead to full legalization, ”he said. Considering that before decriminalization any possession and production was punishable by 15 years in prison, changing the mindset of Thai people will not be easy.
Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
In April, Thai police reported $ 29 million worth of drug seizures and the arrest of 11 people in an anti-drug campaign.
Although Bangkok still does not intend to loosen its grip and release the illegal drug trade, the hand of the market pushed it to legalize. In the 1980s, Thailand was one of the world’s largest exporters of cannabis and wants to return to the tens of millions of dollars in business. As Bloomberg wrote, the volume of the global marijuana market by 2022 will reach $ 23 billion, and the profitability of the business is growing by an average of 22 percent annually. Other predictions look even more fanciful: The South China Morning Post reported $ 58.8 billion by 2025. Now the United States is considered the industry leader, while in Thailand the Thai Cannabis Corporation announced a new project: within five years, cannabis will be grown on an area of five hectares.
Not only Thailand claimed the title of the first in the region. In Asia, a real “green gold fever” broke out. Neighboring Malaysia is taking more modest but still prominent steps to relax legislation. In September, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stood up to defend an accused of selling cannabis oil to patients. As a result, not only a man escaped the death penalty – it was decided to abolish the capital punishment for drug-related crimes altogether. In addition, they also discussed the legalization of the use of marijuana for medical purposes.According to polls, 43 percent of Malaysians have a positive view of medical marijuana. 57 percent of the respondents are sure that the “herb” has healing properties.
It is important to understand that cannabis is different from cannabis. There is hemp – this is the plant itself, and marijuana or ganja is a drug that is made from its leaves. Hemp stem – hemp – is used in weaving, seeds – as a snack or for making oils and drinks. The only difference is how much of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol they contain.There is very little of it in hemp, but cannabidol (CBD), which can be used to treat epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease, is found in both. Cannabidiol (CBD) has a certain therapeutic effect – it has no effect on the psyche, but helps to cope with inflammation and calm down, and mentally active tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The level of these substances in plants depends on the variety of marijuana.
South Korea, in which the attitude to marijuana is quite categorical, and she thought about partial legalization.Now, by law, the import, export, production and sale of marijuana is strictly prohibited. An exception is the collection of hemp seeds and fibers for the textile industry, research and special government programs. However, in July, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (FDA) proposed amendments to the legislation. By design, the import of certain types of drugs containing cannabidiol will be allowed.
In Japan, any drug connection is prohibited by law.Although there is no talk of legalization yet, scientists are conducting trials of cannabinoids. As reported by the South China Morning Post, 40 farmers have already been licensed to grow cannabis. In Sri Lanka, despite the illegal drug status, the authorities announced the creation of a marijuana plantation in 2018. On 100 acres of land, about 25 thousand kilograms of the substance will be produced annually. The planters and workers will be selected by the government, and the military will control production.
Japanese farmers at the largest cannabis plantation in Tochigi Prefecture
Photo: Issei Kato / Reuters
Similar developments are expected soon from India.Even China, where psychotropic substances have been an integral part of the philosophical tradition of Taoism for centuries, may be tempted to relax the severity of the law. The production, trade and use of cannabis is still prohibited, but in the provinces of Heilongjiang in the northeast and Yunnan in the south, industrial hemp is grown for industrial purposes. The law, however, is not implemented very diligently, so there are private gardens in other regions, but they do not have an account. “The number is huge. You cannot open it.Many farms are largely illegal, ”said Professor Yang Ming, who heads the cannabis field at the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
The Chinese government still does not seek to forget about the roots and takes into account the cultural heritage in which marijuana was not the last place. The drug is taken into circulation by the military: The People’s Liberation Army of China, together with Hemp Investment Group, one of the largest Chinese companies engaged in the legal production of cannabis, is developing a drug for post-traumatic stress disorder using components of marijuana.The head of the company, Tan Xin, is very optimistic about the future. “We expect China’s [marijuana] economy to grow to $ 15 billion over the next five years,” he says. Offices of Hemp Investment Group are already open in the USA, and soon Tan plans to gain a foothold in Canada, Israel, Japan and Europe.
Singapore is strictly conservative. Keeping or consuming there is punishable by a large fine of 14.5 thousand dollars, beating with sticks, or a prison term of up to 10 years.The death penalty is provided for the distribution of more than 500 grams of the drug. At the same time, anyone who is caught in Singapore will be punished according to the law of the country. The Central Bureau of Drug Enforcement refers to studies according to which the use of marijuana leads to damage to brain tissue. Yet research is being done on the therapeutic properties of ganja at the National University of Singapore. Scientists are developing synthetic cannabidiol that can be used to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / AP
The desire for economic gain may be the main driver for the legalization of medical marijuana in Asian countries. However, activists will have to tackle more than just legal issues in the first place. It is not known what to do with the prejudices of the population. Medical scientists also do not make the situation easier, there is no consensus among them. The World Health Organization believes that the use of marijuana affects psychomotor and other cognitive functions of the brain.At the same time, WHO also recognizes the medicinal properties of cannabinoids.
Economist Luke Chu of Queen Victoria University in Wellington believes governments face many unpredictable consequences. “Developing a legal framework for the law will be quite problematic,” he says. “Since marijuana is likely to be less dangerous than alcohol or cigarettes, existing legislation can be used to regulate drug use.” However, according to him, it is still unclear how to deal with the fact that such phenomena as driving under the influence of marijuana will appear, how the new realities will fit into the existing legal and healthcare systems.At the same time, he acknowledges that the economic benefits are likely to offset such risks.
According to Martin Jelsm, Asia, being a region traditionally tolerant to ganja, has already ceded the right to be the first to declare marijuana a dangerous drug. Plamondon notes that a return to tradition is still easier than a complete innovation. “Many Asian countries will soon rush headlong towards legalization themselves,” he says. Whether his forecast will come true, or whether Asians will return to the “marijuana paradise” a long time ago, the experience of Thailand will show, and the neighbors can only observe and draw conclusions.