Misterwhisper

Perhaps because "Thai omicron not same-same Farang omicron", which would be totally in line with the shrewd observation "Thai electricity not same-same Farang electricity" offered to me by local electricians on numerous occasions when I insisted that they should earth the electrical appliance that they had just installed for me.

Duh! When something suddenly has become LEGAL, why would there be any arrests? On the other hand, the RTP is notorious for actually making up or "interpret" laws as they see fit in many other instances in order to extort money or making unlawful arrests. So why so coy all of a sudden? The true farce is, of course, that the government announced the complete legalization BEFORE a sensible regulatory framework was drafted that clearly defines what is allowed and what isn't. Why the head-over-heels rush into legalizing cannabis without having guidelines in place? It's like riding a horse before saddling it up and then wondering why you're ending up in a ditch. Germany is going to legalize cannabis in the very near future. To prepare for that, they have set up a house committee comprising members of all stakeholders and interest groups from both the public and private sectors that currently deliberate on a regulatory framework, including (but not limited to): - the minimum age for legally buying cannabis and whether certain user demographics should be barred from purchasing cannabis products (e.g. pregnant women) - how and through which channels cannabis products can be sold (e.g. private shops, online stores, pharmacies, etc.) - what THC threshold will be allowed and whether certain cannabis products (e.g. hashish) should remain banned - what licenses or permits retailers/dispensaries must obtain - from which grower sources cannabis products can be legally obtained by merchants/retailers - whether there should be an excise tax on cannabis products or not - whether consumption will be allowed on-premise in dedicated venues (e.g. "cannabis cafes", etc.) - whether and how many cannabis plants can be grown for private consumption and whether such growing must be registered or not - and so on and so on And you can bet your grandma's bong that Germany will NOT legalize cannabis UNTIL such a regulatory framework stands, has been vetted and re-vetted and re-vetted once again just for good measure before it is finally promulgated. And THAT's how it's done, Thailand! Germany saddles up its horse before riding it.

Coke Zero or regular?

Perhaps NOT binging down 2 large beers right for breakfast every morning also might help, a habit that seems to be lifestyle routine for a large proportion of ASEANNOW's distinguished readership.

Good lord... can they EVER do ANYTHING right? This is straight out of a practical comical textbook.

Let me dissect that for you... "they" (you know exactly who I mean by that) COMPLETELY legalized cannabis BEFORE they actually started thinking about that it might conceivably be a good and reasonable idea to draw up some legal guidelines for users and traders, i.e. a "Cannabis Act." And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is VERY, VERY THAI!

I "recommend" that the "Anti Fake News Centre" be abolished... no, "should" be abolished... pardon, "must" be abolished. Oh, what the heck... what do I care.

That is about 16 MILLION dollars per vehicle! While I am aware that these are not "toy drones" that one can order on Lazada, I somehow still have a hunch that 3 quarters of that amount is for "assorted commissions". Has no-one bothered asking the Ukrainians where they get THEIR drones? They seem to be doing a great job -- yet I very much doubt they cost 16 million bucks a-piece.

So the convicted heroin trafficker is lecturing the leader of an illegal coup d'etat... How absurd.

A good 10 years ago, I conducted a test with some of the locals in my wider neighborhood. I had prepared a picture of a European tourist attraction with a ticket sales booth in the foreground, photoshopping the entry fee sign to read: "Entry for Locals - 2.50 euros / Entry for Thai - 25.00 euros". I asked them whether they noticed anything peculiar about that photo. Sure enough, ALL of them immediately pointed out that entry fee discrepancy and voiced how "unfair" it was to charge Thais ten times the fee. Of course I explained to them that this was exactly how foreigners were being treated when they wanted to visit attractions in Thailand. The reactions were then quite surprising. ALL of the participants in my little survey admitted that while they knew about the practice they did NOT agree with it and that everybody regardless of nationality should pay the SAME entry fee as locals when visiting tourist attractions in Thailand. The common consensus was that while Thailand always portrayed itself as a country that welcomed all foreigners, fleecing those very people for ten times the local entry fee simply did not drive home that message. It seems the average person on the street has more common sense than those in government. But then again, that's nothing new.

Oops, my mistake. I apologize.

By contrast, my CANADIAN neighbors were whooping in joy when their usual drinking buddy turned up with a big, fat bag full of kush recently. While the whooping commenced for an hour or so thereafter, it subsequently got conspicuously quiet in the Canadian compound for the remainder of the evening. Which in turn caused me to whoop in joy.... as normally when they drink they are incredibly noisy until the early morning hours.

> leaving restaurant tables behind to resemble landfills (on AND under) > washing their feet and laundry in airport/restaurant/hotel bathroom sinks > drying their wet laundry (including underwear) draped over airport lounge seats > allowing their toddlers AND themselves to urinate and defecate wherever they please > shoving you out of the way as their tour groups push through > cramming 12 people into an elevator to ensure that they don't have to interrupt their cheerful group banter for those 20 seconds it takes the elevator to reach their hotel room floor > aggressively pushing and shoving at the buffet, preventing everybody else to make their selection > aggressively screaming at Thai shop assistants, oblivious to the fact that the latter will not understand a single word anyway > dropping plastic waste wherever they please, acting hostile if you point out to them a trash bin a mere 5 meters away > displaying complete disregard for the common courtesy of cueing at a store counter or ticket sales office > haggling down the bill even at hotel restaurant and bars > and, and, and... I have witnessed all of that first-hand... and truthfully, I won't be too sad if those Chinese hordes NOT return anytime soon. Nothing against individual Chinese travelers... but those low-budget group tours are reminiscent of locust swarms afflicting an agricultural area; and are just as destructive.

Did you actually READ the article? It seems that toddler found a cannabis-laced cookie lying around and ate it. Nobody actually GAVE it to her. if anything, this is a matter of parenting neglect. Now just imagine the little girl had got hold of daddy's half-empty bottle of "lao khao" standing around openly; or mom's stash of sleeping pills.

This is like freakin' deja-vu. In my opinion, it's rather clear why PTP fields an unexperienced "girly" like Paetongtarn. who at 35 years old cannot possibly have attained the political acumen to head a government and whose knowledge of economics is limited to spending her family's wealth. With her meddling in politics she is simply following daddy's orders -- just like her aunt before her, who Thaksin had no scruples throwing under the bus as long as he could use her as a pawn to push his own agenda. Paetongtarn is going to be just the same puppet that Yingluck was, and whose strings Thaksin will pull as he sees fit. Wanna bet that one of the first things on her to-do list will be to bring daddy back home? I am not siding with that junta-instated senator. But he DOES have a point nevertheless. Then again, Thai politics has NEVER been about political competence and fielding the right people. Instead it's ALWAYS been who is going to get their turn at the feeding trough next. Thaksin has been getting increasingly hungry since 2014. He needs and wants political relevance again; whether by proxy or directly doesn't matter to him. And that is the only reason why PTP is now pushing Paetongtarn as PM candidate. She knows it, PTP knows it, and every casual observer of Thai politics knows it too.

It's the same point as FB or Instagram friends feeling the irresistible urge to shower you day after day with pics of each and every meal they've had - from breakfast to supper. It's mind-numbing.

Oh, goody! But... does it have an engine?

This government has had a full 2 years since grandiosely announcing that the country would legalize cannabis. That surely was more than enough time to deliberate on and set up a regulatory framework. Nothing was done. Instead, it simply was announced that cannabis would be fully legalized as per June 9. IF the intent was to legalize cannabis for medical purposes only... then why oh why wasn't this fleshed out? It's reminiscent of me posting a notice at my gate saying, "My garden and swimming pool are open to everyone," then wondering why the entire neighborhood starts congregating and loitering in my backyard... when in fact I only wanted to invite my family and close friends with that notice. Jeez, can these people EVER think ANYTHING through?! Anutin, you are a construction business tycoon. Are you planning your mega-million construction projects as shoddily as you planned your "cannabis liberalization"?

Upon which civil servants took to drinking from 8:30am till 1pm, of course; and ESPECIALLY during lunch time.

Oh, he's "Tony Woodsome" now? I thought he was still "Thakki Shinegra". At least that's the name in his Montenegrin passport.

Alone by looking at that picture I feel the irresistible urge of having a big, fat joint.

Being a dim-wit standing in front of press cameras and microphones and openly endorsing the malpractice of nepotism may not be against the law -- but it sure as hell is morally wrong.

Maybe they also could vigorously rub her up and down to find the next winning lottery numbers..

Though old, worn out and over-used, that ruse still seems to work like a charm with a gullible, under-educated clientele. Simply lie to them you're going to make all of them rich and - bam! - you've pretty much secured their votes.

Country with the most hubs anywhere?