AverageAussie

The Epstein Files? 🤔

'They couldn't bear it': The city where cannabis shops are disappearing post-high More than 18,000 dispensaries that opened after Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022 are now facing imminent shutdown after the government's policy reversal. Thailand's cannabis industry is experiencing a painful comedown after the government announced it would recriminalise the drug after only three years. Source: SBS News For three years, downtown Bangkok has had a green glow. Neon cannabis leaves light up practically every corner; an inescapable marker of what quickly ballooned into a billion-dollar industry. More than 18,000 recreational marijuana shops sprang up, seemingly out of nowhere, when Thailand became the first Asian nation to decriminalise cannabis in 2022. Their glory days may have been short-lived. Last month, the government introduced new regulations restricting cannabis to medicinal use only, banning dispensaries from selling the drug to anyone without a prescription. Suradeth Wattanasoontornkul runs a small cannabis dispensary outside Bangkok's city centre. He says he's lost almost all his business. Source: SBS News It's now flagging more rules to come; planning to cut shop numbers back almost 90 per cent to 2,000 and require each one to have a doctor on site. "The customers are gone," cannabis shop owner Suradeth Wattanasoontornkul says. "They are scared. Everyone's business is going down." "The shop opposite us just closed. They probably couldn't bear it anymore." So far, there's no real evidence Thai authorities have started enforcing the new regulations, but Suradeth says the fear they will has scared most of his customers away. He used to sell more than $7,000 worth of cannabis every month. Last month, it dropped to less than $500. "We paid 5,000 baht ($240) to the government for a licence, but once we get that licence, they release new regulations and tell us the one we have is useless," Suradeth says. "Sure, you can hire a doctor, but the cost is very high, and not every doctor wants to work in a cannabis shop." The governmental feud fuelling recriminalisation Thailand's health minister says the reforms are about improving public safety and addressing rising cannabis addiction, but analysts say they are also wound up in Thailand's latest political crisis. In June, former Cambodian leader Hun Sen leaked the audio from a controversial phone call with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, during which she appeared to make disparaging remarks about her own military's handling of the recent border crisis. Her political allies in the Bhumjaithai Party, which was the main driving force behind cannabis decriminalisation, withdrew from the coalition in outrage. Within a week, Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party had moved to recriminalise the drug. The reversal on cannabis "has a lot to do with coalition dynamics and coalition politics," political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, says. "The cannabis policy in Thailand is synonymous with the Bhumjaithai Party. It wanted to broaden its political base by decriminalising cannabis. So, suddenly, you had these cannabis shops mushrooming around Thailand, especially in Bangkok," he says. The Thai government has flagged plans to cut cannabis shop numbers back almost 90 per cent to 2,000 and require each one to have a doctor on site. Source: SBS News The industry experienced near-instant economic success; its value was already estimated above $1 billion, with the Thai Chamber of Commerce predicting that number could rise to $1.8 billion by the end of this year. Analysts believe tourists were behind much of the enthusiasm. "I think there was a public backlash against it," Pongsudhirak says. "The constituencies in favour of cannabis were limited; some vendors, proprietors, tourists, the hospitality industry. But the public sentiments at large are very sceptical. The Thais, being a predominantly Buddhist country, still frowned upon vices like this." Thailand's public health minister Somsak Thepsuthin says he eventually wants to relist cannabis as a category five narcotic, which would result in tougher penalties for recreational use and possession, including jail time. "We want to tell tourists they are welcome to enjoy Thailand's culture and nature, but Thailand should not be seen as a destination for recreational cannabis use," Thepsuthin recently said. "It affects children, causes nuisance from unwanted odours." An industry moving underground With the new restrictions widely unenforced and more regulations on the way, the industry has settled into a grey zone for now. Those trying to keep their businesses open say there is little clarity and a lot of confusion. Kitty Chopaka says cannabis dispensary owners are reporting a rise in tourists selling the drug to other tourists, suggesting the billion-dollar business is now moving underground. Source: SBS News "The health department is coming out with one set of information, the provinces are coming out with another set of information, when a lot of things are actually still on the drawing board," Kitty Chopaka from advocacy group Writing Thailand's Cannabis Future says. "The shops in the provinces where the health officers happen to be strict, they are now either shut down, or are being told 'We suggest you shut down until the rules are more concrete, but if you don't shut down we will come and do a little inspection where we're then probably able to suspend your licence'." Chopaka has been speaking with a network of dispensary owners almost daily as they try to navigate the changes. They have consistently been reporting a drop in sales since the prescription rules came into effect, but they do not believe that correlates with a drop in usage. Many believe tourists are now buying the drug from other tourists instead of the dispensaries. Some of the 18,000 registered shops have begun shutting down, while others are holding out to see if they might be one of the few that get to stay in business. "A lot of the small businesses are going to get removed, the small farms, the ones where the husband is the grower, the wife is the trimmer, then maybe the mother-in-law is the seller at the shop. Those guys are not going to exist anymore," Chopaka says. "I would say one small business is about ten lives you're dealing with. You've got the owner, the farms, the people who work in the shop, all of the production side of things. Each of them will have a family. And you times it by 18,000 — that's a lot of people." She says: "That's the sad part." Source: SBS News Published 25 August 2025 5:33 By Claudia Farhart https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/thailand-cannabis-government-policy-reversal-shut-down/zhxue87ag

Maybe not, but that's a different question and not relevant. You're confusing nationality with identity. Nationality is very clear cut and just needs a piece of paper. At the risk of introducing a pun; it's "black or white". Being black-skinned doesn't disqualify someone from citizenship.

I thought I answered that question. But I'll help you out: British, Namibian and Irish.

Multi-national. It's perfectly acceptably to have more than one nationality - IF those countries have provision for this (such as dual citizenship agreements) and you meet the specific requirements. Even if someone doesn't, then individuals can still identify with multiple cultures (such as the country of their birth or their parents' origin), but they can have NATIONALITY only for those where they have (or retain) citizenship - and by implication eligibility for a passport. If the alleged felon with the dark skin holds a British passport, then he is a British national.

Nationality isn't defined by skin color. It's defined by the passport.

Anyone any outlets or shops that can etch a small sign (just 2 lines of 3 numbers, maybe 25 x 25mm) on plastic?

No enforcement and AFAIK not even any proper standards. However, my point is that the building owner (wherever the interview/ press briefing took place) could have taken the initiative by installing RCDs at the switch box and doing some regular inspection & testing of electrical appliances*. 99.9% chance this incident would never have happened. * my definition of "proactive"

If you have a home/condo and/or business you certainly have the ability (and responsibility) to make that part of the energy supply network safe. It's not rocket science; properly rated circuit breakers + RCDs + surge protection - and you should sleep a bit better. Up to the point of entry to the building, I'm inclined to agree with your statement.

Nothing will change until RCDs are mandatory everywhere. That's the only action that's 'proactive'.

Is anyone else using this app yet?

What does it tell you when even the Thais can manage a 115° turn almost in the middle of Bangkok without too much difficulty? Where there is will, there is an engineering solution.

So far, you're about the only sane voice in a sea of naysayers. Bangkok have had their Pink Line operational for 13 months months now and have a rolling stock of 30 x 4-car trains running on the 34km of track with 30 stations operational (expanded from the original plan of 24). Once the bureaucrats & politicians sorted their s*^& out and actually started construction, it took about 6 years to build. They're ideal for dense urban environments (like Pattaya City) because of the relatively modest footprint of only 4m2 (per column) at ground level. A single parking space for a car occupies at least 13m2 of road space. Once the fast-rail to U-Tapao airport goes through (with the Pattaya station) then some sort of efficient connecting public transport system will be an absolute necessity. The powers to be won't have much choice.

Suvarnabhumi immigration. don.mp4

60 Minutes in Australia produced this episode on Being's current situation last week. As you would expect, there's not a lot of in-depth analysis that you can compress into 21 minutes - but it does give a reasonably balanced summation for an audience usually less well informed. We'll have to wait for the movies that will follow in the few years to get more of an insight into the corporate culture.