Misterwhisper

Hmmm... I wonder whether this has anything to do with the draconian criminal defamation laws this country's elite stubbornly uphold -- because it benefits them and keeps critics silent.

So a convicted heroin trafficker can lead a political party here without anyone even flinching? Ah, the mysteries of the Orient...

Exactly. I actually was hoping there'd be at least a HINT of cannabis aroma. But nope...

Found lavender and berry flavored "Cannabis Water" in my local shop yesterday. It tasted like... well... lavender and berry flavored water.

Kratom is entirely legal with no restrictions whatsoever. And has been for quite some time.

"Okart Thai"? I think that party moniker is a misnomer, Shouldn't it rather be "Okart Mingkwan"?

As well as all those healthy vegetables, up to 80% of which are contaminated with pesticides according to some surveys in supermarkets and wet markets.

The rules are actually quite simple: ANY part of the cannabis plant (including the buds) that contains more than 0.2% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is still ILLEGAL. ONLY cannabis plant parts with 0.2% or less of THC have been legalized. I do understand your confusion, though. All these "journalists" out there CONSTANTLY get it wrong. It goes to show how sub-standard journalism has become today. Nobody seems to be bothered to fact-check information anymore. Cannabis is NOT marijuana. "Cannabis" is the scientific term for the actual plant that colloquially also is referred to as "hemp". The two main strains of hemp are Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica -- though there are countless sub-strains with varying concentrations of THC, CBD and other compounds. Marijuana on the other hand EXCLUSIVELY refers to the THC-rich *thus illegal!) buds and flowers of the cannabis plant. Hashish basically is the sticky resin extracted from the cannabis plant, primarily the buds and flowers. THC is highly concentrated in that resin, hence hashish is even stronger than marijuana. And illegal. CBD (cannabidiol), the cannabis plant's NON-psychoactive substance (as opposed to THC) can be found in all plant parts, though it likewise is more concentrated in the buds and flowers.

Well... what do you expect, when each of these "young sexy women" calls you a "hansum man" and promises to "love you more than monkey love banana" despite your bulging beer belly, bald head, flabby arms, alcoholic red nose, double chin, man boobs, questionable personal hygiene practices, and Birkenstock sandals? I am NOT speaking from experience, of course... ????????

Nor a war elephant.

I couldn't be concerned less. Haven't been to "entertainment venues" in years. Instead, I frequent "restaurants" quite regularly.

Alone reading this makes me grunt. Honestly.

I'll join you... but only if we can roll up my linen shirt and light it up. I like a good smoke with my hard liquor.

Did he bend your... uhm... "spoon" too?

Haven't I said it over and over and over again the past few months and whenever "cannabis" headlines graced these pages? To those of you who already frolicked over the prospect that cannabis will be "legal" as of June 9 -- it's not; and not in the sense you longed for anyway. And to those of you that had consistently agonized that Thailand's streets will soon be littered with junkies on a cannabis trip -- they wont. Cannabas allegedly has been "liberalized" -- but it hasn't. Cannabis allegedly is going to be legal -- but it won't. The one and only thing that will be "liberalized and legalized" is so-called "commercial cannabis", i.e. the stuff from which ropes and certain fabrics (linen) are made. No more. No less. So, please CALM DOWN NOW -- all of you!

Although there are no trees or lamp posts on the moon, the Thai moon lander vehicle still should be beware of the deep craters, canyons and crevices!

What Thailand sorely needs is an adequate social security system. We know the money is there. Problem is that it's always squandered on utterly useless investments such as engine-less submarines, blimps that don't fly, explosives detectors that actually are golf ball finders, an aircraft carrier that basically rots away at its dock, a flashy parliamentary club where MPs can surf their favorite porn movies in luxury, a palace-like new parliament building when the old one was perfectly fine, etc. etc. Frankly, a "state pension" of 700 baht is an insult. And what are pensioners supposed to do with an "extra" 100 baht? It's barely enough to buy a couple of plates of fried rice these days. Maybe we should "raise" MP salaries by a generous 100 baht and see how they react.

???????????? Brilliant!

This is laughable. What about the systematic burning down and slashing of rainforests everywhere? If we go with Dr. Nievera's argumentation, the resulting mono-cultures of oil palms, sugar cane, maize, rice etc. etc. are therefore "bad for the planet", too, and should be eradicated. And I don't even want to begin mentioning the practice of burning fields post-harvest. If you live in Southeast Asia, you know exactly what I am talking about. As per manufacturing: Have you actually seen the thick black fumes emanating from sugar factory and palm oil refinery smoke stacks? By contrast, there are NO noxious fumes wafting from tobacco manufacturing plants. Last but not least, if you're living in one of Asia's mega cities such as Bangkok, for example, I would dare claim that you are harming your health considerably more by simply breathing the toxic air on a daily basis than by occasionally getting exposed to "second-hand [tobacco] smoke. Is Dr. Nievera's solution that we therefore should just bulldoze down all large cities in the world because they're bad for peoples' health? In any case, the much touted and controversial "deadly second-hand smoking hazard" appears to be far from scientifically proven, with most studies standing on very shaky ground: https://www.tobaccoasia.com/features/q-a-simon-clark-the-passive-smoking-myth/ I am not defending tobacco here. But what I am doing is pointing out that tobacco - once again - is demonized as some sort of a global scourge -- because it fits the political agenda. God knows there are countless other agricultural products that collectively would fit that "bad for the planet" bill and in fact cause considerably MORE harm on multiple levels than tobacco ever will. And if Thailand allegedly "loses" 350 billion baht per hear in healthcare expenses related to tobacco use, the expenditure for treating diseases and ailments caused by overconsumption of sugar, salt, MSG, unhygienic food in general and the exposure to polluted air and water, airborne dust, pesticides etc. etc. certainly must dwarf those supposed 350 billion. Yet nobody constantly raps on about that for the simple reason that tobacco apparently has been selected as the sole devil that needs to be wiped off the face of the earth. And while I DO advocate for and indeed welcome smoking bans in certain public places, I still opine that the operators of restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. should be accorded the CHOICE whether they want to designate their venue as "smoke-free" or "smoking permitted". And if you are a rabid anti-smoker... instead of complaining that everybody around you is trying to kill you, just DON'T frequent places where you KNOW that you're going to be exposed to smoke.

While I am not clairvoyant, I think think I can nevertheless predict with reasonably accuracy that this is going to work out just as fabulous as the 5-year-plan to stamp out corruption.

Exactly my thinking. If anything, they actually should grant a tax REPRIEVE for fallow or unused land on which the owners allow nature to take over. I can cite a first-hand example for that "if you plant bananas you pay less land tax" folly. Literally right next to my house, there was a 2-rai plot on which a dense forest with mature trees and lots of undergrowth had developed. It was the perfect urban biodiversity habitat for all sorts of plants and copious wildlife such as birds, reptiles and small mammals. When I opened my kitchen window, I would hear birds chirping instead of being assaulted by the incessant traffic noise from the main road. But one day the entire plot - trees and all - was simply bulldozed down. It was a heart wrenching sight and I wondered how many animals were simply buried alive, how many bird nests were destroyed. After the forest had been turned into a plot of barren land, workers arrived and started planting banana trees (of course!). The intent was clear: the land's owner wanted to save on land tax. In the meantime, the banana trees have matured -- but the previous brush and even new trees have grown back, too. However, about twice a year workers cut down the "wild" growth just to maintain the illusion that this plot is used for agricultural purposes. If fallow plots would be exempted from land tax, perhaps there would be a chance for more green areas to break up this desolate concrete jungle that is inner Bangkok.

Unmanned aircraft... that is just soooo PERFECT for the Thai army. ????

Yeah, he engaged in a lot of "moo pinging" in his teenage years.

In the old days, when these women were asked how they made their money, they either claimed to be "phone operators" or "hotel receptionists". In other words, when they mentioned either of these jobs one usually would know what their true profession was.

And surely didn't become "mega rich" by selling grilled pork balls.