koolbreez

This is just a smoke screen. Most minimum wage jobs are filled under foreign worker guest programs that hire workers from the surrounding countries, and who are not required to be paid minimum Thai wages. If I remember right the minimum wage for guest workers is just bt200 a day, and living expenses provided to them can be deducted from their meager wages, taking many of them down below bt100 a day in actual earnings, but still more than they could make in their home country. All these minimum wage increases over the years have done is replace Thais with foreign guest workers, putting more minimum wage earning Thais out of work.

This doesn't really mean anything concerning online learning unless the past pass fail rates are also shown for comparison. Public schools weren't known for high teaching numbers concerning pass fail before. Then again, as a phycological study, you could argue that this reenforces B.F. Skinner's continuation of Pavlov's dogs model, that if the reinforcement is taken away that was used in the behavior modification then after a short period of time the subject will revert to old habits, but without past data it is meaningless.

The one thing that Thailand does, and this is another good example, is let the free market work. The last time I remember was with rubber trees, and the latex market. The price went up, so everyone planted more rubber trees, and flooded the market, cutting the price way down, almost below production costs. Now it is the same free market being let work again with this agricultural product. Not many are aware that cannabis is now an export product, with more kilos being exported than are consumed in Thailand, as more countries legalize it, Germany just recently. Don't be fooled by the propaganda, and face saving that is going on now. If they were actually going to recriminalize it, they would be doing it immediately. Also, don't be fooled that it isn't already being studied from every aspect. Now the first full year of tax filings have been completed so the actual financials, and how big of an industry it is is known on paper. Now all the propaganda is being spread to give another full year of data collection in the drawing up of the rules and regulations to control the industry. Things like dispensary opening and closing hours. Not selling during religious holidays, and those type of elements. It isn't going anywhere. The last year provided enough positive data that it justified at least one more year of research, until right after next year's tax filing date. That is no coincidence.

There is a whole other side to what is going on, and what is being said, that most have no awareness of, when you actually look at what Thailand is doing concerning THC legalization, and the research. Thailand has let the free market work fully in the cannabis industry, just heavily requiring everyone involved be licensed, with licenses very easy to get, including export licenses. Last year was the first full year of data, including business tax payments, and particularly the total revenue those taxes represented. The tax filing deadline was March 31st. This particular date has plenty of significance concerning the April 1st. 2025 date mentioned. At that point there will be two full years of data, showing the actual monitory value of both domestic, and export, sales revenue. In a very passive comment, that was mentioned of bt1.2billion revenue last year. One thing that has been going on is countries in South East Asia that tourists come from visiting Thailand have been trying to pressure Thailand into ending recreational sales, as returnees are high, and a number of them smuggling back small amounts. Thailand puts out propaganda pieces, like statements from the last health Minister, mentioning the end of the year as closing recreational sales, as that was the end of the data collection year in other areas, like accidents, hospital admissions, and such. Now when that timeframe ended they changed ministers and set another date, in 2025, that just happens to be at the end of this tax year data. Now as far as Thaksin's involvement, and he's been involved longer than most think. Anutin doesn't make it to a deputy prime minister position without Thaksin's full approval. That indicates Anutin has a long association with Thaksin. To the point that when Anutin was minister of health Thaksin was consulted. This is a classic case study of free market enterprise. Shops aren't going anywhere, and other countries can look at Thai history of how many times they let outside countries influence what they do. Thailand always does what is in their best interest, and always have.

The biggest threat, and where all the pressure is coming from to again criminalize recreational use, is from the two major beer monopolies that have seen a significant drop in beer sales since cannabis was legalized. That is the real threat to the industry, and where all the pressure is coming from.

What is interesting now that all the tax numbers have come in from the last year, the first full year of data, and the revenue generated from this new agriculture crop is known, the Minister of the health department, that was saying it should be made illegal for recreational use, has been replaced in last week's cabinet reshuffle.

The major objections, and wanting decriminalization, is the beer industry, that is seeing a big drop in beer sales. That is the opposition.

The local culture that exists everywhere, even in the different sections of Bangkok, is just like how I grew up in small town rural America in the 50s and 60s. Small family owned businesses everywhere, not taken over, and driven out, by major corporations yet. The community takes care of everyone else in the community. There was one dominant religion. This is just like where I grew up, and understand how it all operates at the local level. I won't go into detail in this thread. This is home.

You seem to think you are entitled to stay here long term because you are thinking you can use a loophole in what you think is the law. Any official reference concerning law that this that you find will also say at the discretion of immigration. When they decide you are trying to stay long term as a tourist then you experience exactly what you experienced. Immigration isn't stupid, and this has been going on for over a decade. It's not new. Also, when immigration decides you aren't entering they don't arrest you. You simply are refused entry and go back where you came from to get the correct visa.

Don't believe most of the propaganda about ending recreational use. This is being done to placate a number of complaining countries in this region of the world as Thailand works out all the laws and regulations to govern the industry, and Thailand is researching, and looking at everything. An important factor is the income taxes paid by the industry after one full year. A big thing about Thailand is they will listen to others, but when it comes down to it, and after their own research, Thailand will do exactly what Thailand wants to do.

Because of what happened last time this was done, the last government put the stipulation that the certificates of use could not be sold or transferred, preventing any foreclosure on the land for planting and growing loan default. Being poor they have very limited loan services available, and it takes money to raise a crop. A few major land owning corporations set up loan programs, then after a few years, when they defaulted on the loans, they foreclosed, and sharcropped the land back to them so they could continue to farm, but with a big slice taken out as the fees. This new titling of the agro land, with the right to transfer title is another setup to gain more government land by a few individual corporations, the same way they did it before. The poor farmers will be much worse off.