sidneybear

Not all of us here are insulting people for using cannabis. The purpose of this thread is to discuss legislation, so it's expected that some people will be for the upcoming changes, and some will be against. Accusing everyone of alcohol abuse who has a view that differs from yours is just plain silly. It makes one wonder whether cannabis has affected your ability to hold polite conversations about the effects of cannabis on society, and the reasons why it might need to be controlled. Right now, cannabis is as available as candy, and its effects on young people in particular are harmful. Yes, alcohol can be harmful too if it is abused - we all know that - but why does that mean other nasty substances should be made available too? What next? Attractively branded heroin "dispensaries" on every street corner?

Discussion is the raison d'être of a discussion forum. If everyone agreed with everyone else, there would be no more discussion, and no more forum. All you do is accuse people who disagree with you of being drunkards, which is a really daft way to conduct a conversation.

You said it yourself: Enforcement happens in the west that doesn’t happen in Thailand. In the west, they'll always bust you and pin huge fines on you for even minor traffic offences. Western countries have gigantic, parasitic governments that are hugely expensive to support. Thailand is much more flexible, and cheaper to get yourself out of trouble, which is why we love the place.

But it's a lot less regulated than the West

There are reasons: 1) Envy: Most people who come here love Thailand, even if they don't admit it, but resent the fact that they aren't Thai and don't get the same rights as the locals. 2) Arrogance: Many people come over here feeling superior (even though they're not). They look down their noses at any culture that's different from the crime ridden and degenerate dumps that they came from. 3) Inability to adapt: Others come here and become disillusioned at the differences in the way Thais do things. These people suffer from culture shock and desperately try to change Thailand to resemble their home country, which of course is never going to happen.

That's right. Banks operate on a fractional reserve system, whereby they don't need to hold deposits in reserve that equal the value of the money they lend. This means that they produce loans out of thin air.

Australia taxes property too, in the form of council rates, as do most places.

So don't drive then.

True. Look at places like Australia, where housing has been made unaffordable to most people who don't already own a house. Savers are penalised, inflation destroys wealth, and small increases in interest rates are a national emergency, because everyone is buried under huge mortgages.

Interesting. But as you say, Burmese or Cambodian bank accounts aren't as useful as Thai accounts, due to challenges transferring funds in and out, insolvency risk, etc. The fact remains that Thailand, as an established member of the global financial system, has been quite slack on eligibility requirements.

Wise is a bit hit and miss, which is disconcerting when there's money involved, and when they're so opaque about what's happening to your money when hold ups occur. I've had some transfers take seconds, other similar transfers take days. Once I had a transfer invesigated then cancelled just for putting my wife's nickname in the transaction reference box. This having already declared the purpose of the transaction. I got refunded, after several days, but I've given up using them for all but small sums of money.

I'd say that Thai banks have actually been easy going for years, but are catching up with the rest of the world. Try opening a bank account anywhere else in the world as a tourist.

Another vile import from the western world. Perverts in drag and gimp suits coming on to children should be thrown in prison.

But you're speaking to lots of foreigners here @simon43 😀

The problem isn't with Wise, it's the insanely strict Anti Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing regulations they have to adhere to, in order to stay in business and avoid penalties and sanctions. They're obliged to freeze accounts and are forbidden to say why they did so under anti tipping off rules. They (and all similar financial service providers) err on the side of extreme caution, freeze accounts and cancel transactions for all kinds of obscure reasons. I had a remittance frozen for using my wife's pet name in the transaction reference field, even though I'd stated what the transaction was for. They'd flagged it as suspicious under CTF and Sanctioned individual concerns. They cancelled the transfer and I did get the money refunded a few days later, after I'd provided them with extensive information on whom I was transferring to and why. Gone are the days when our money was ours to do what we liked with.