MangoKorat

I am or was 'connected' with the industry both in the UK and Thailand - I'm not about to elaborate on how but I still know people who are in the business. A mate in Thailand has run a very big grow for many years and he can't wait for it to be made illegal again. His prices have dropped over 50% since 'legalisation' - not my words, his.

I was telling you to do the search yourself but it was clear from your first reply that you would simply say any evidence is just BS. Tell me, what's the point in arguing with a closed mind? You most likely wouldn't believe it if it happened to a relative. I have stated that I am a cannabis suporter but my mind, regarding the effects on young people, was changed by the EVIDENCE I saw on a totally unbiased documentary. I have my views but what makes us different is that I don't have a closed mind. People used to think the world was flat - clearly some still do. I repeat, if you want to read the evidence, do a google search on the subject. There are literally hundreds of studies and their results available. I'm not going to waste my time posting evidence for someone who wouldn't believe it, no matter how strong it is.

That I very much doubt. Quite often sent on your way without charge but handing it back? The police officer himself would be facing a charge for that.

Then they were very lucky, although I'm almost certain you've missed a little bit off that, it would be extremely rare for them to have only got community service - almost certainly accompanied by a suspended sentence. Loss of crop is not part of the criminal sentence - it comes later in the proceeds of crime hearing. If your mates had any money a Proceeds of Crime investigation would follow the criminal case at which time they would be ordered to pay sums equal to what the police 'think' they'd earned based on the evidence available. If the defendants don't appear to have any money, they don't usually bother with that. Two of my mates got jail - one got 4 years, first offence, mind you he did have 1200 plants (various stages). Another got 2 years for 36 flowering plants, 36 vegging plants and 200 live cuttings. Jail in the UK very much depends on the area and how much space there is in the prisons. Judges are regularly told to only send the most serious cases to jail as they are full.

The price of cannabis also determines who is able to buy it. Weed in the UK was, for many years, grown mostly be locals with relatively small grows. Good quality weed was, until around 5 years ago, bringing £170 - £200 per ounce (to the grower). Then the Albanians, having taken over the UK's cocaine market, moved in to cannabis and dropped grower prices to around £100 per ounce - with an obvious knock-on to street prices. Local growers, not prepared to risk jail for that price, got out of the business. Hence, the product is now within the grasp of much younger buyers which is probably why we are seeing an increase in psychiatric problems amongst the young. Cannabis prices in Thailand have fallen through the floor since 'decriminalisation' - which could be why there are so many reports of youngsters there smoking it - and the associated reports of social problems.

It has never been OK - its just something that is rarely enforced and when enforcement does take place, it is more for the benefit of those doing the enforcing and too little to be preventative. There is nothing to say that if/when cannabis is recriminalised in Thailand, that the law on that will be enforced either.

You don't understand why a product that is illegal is more expensive than one that's legal? Have you not seen what happened to weed prices in Thailand since 'legalisation'? Maybe time you gave up smoking weed.

Then I suggest you work on your ability to search. Google will do the hard work for you.

So you're a doctor? Millions of people smoke cigarettes, they don't all get cancer. The documentary I saw was not biased at all and in fact, came down on the side of legalising cannabis (it remains illegal in the UK). You may have been a user all your life but I very much doubt you were smoking 30% + THC weed when you were a kid - and that is what the doctors and scientists were saying. They didn't come acrosss the problems they are seeing previously - it is only since the high THC varieties became popular in the UK that these problems showed up. Believe me, if you'd seen some of the kids affected, you would accept that there are problems.

The word 'some' is missing from your post - some Thai women. Whilst constant demands for money occur in Thai/Thai marriages, they are much higher in Thai/Foreign marriages. I'd suggest that the reason for that is mainly due to the type of Thai women that foreigners meet and where they meet them. Most of my friends in Thailand are Thai nationals, most are married and none of them suffer from the same problems that Thai/Foreign marriages do when it comes to money (that is not to say it doesn't happen, just not amongst those I know). All of them met in the 'traditional' ways, at school, through friends, on nights out, etc.etc. I think it would be a fair guess that most foreigners meet their Thai wives through dating apps or in bars. Those places have a very high percentage of women who's sole intention is to get access to a foreigner's money in one way or another. It should not come as a surprise then, that so many Thai/Foreigner marriages suffer from some form of problem created by demands for cash. I've been in one of those marriages but very quickly got out of it. Quite often the strength of your partner's 'love' can be tested by just saying no to a financial request.

The old school farmer's will be happy if and when its re-criminalised - prices will go up. That will not only be beneficial to the farmers. As a long term supporter of cannabis and of being in charge of what I put in my body, I have to admit that there is a case for some form of regulation. The later strains of cannabis can contain THC levels of over 30% and its been proven that using product with that strength is having an adverse effect of the mental health of the young. I'm not talking about Paranoia - that has long been associated with weed and if that's how it affects you, maybe its best not to smoke it? Recent European studies have found large increases of psychosis and paranoid schizophrenia in the young. Although with adults, even the worst cases usually pass in a month or so, young, developing brains can be permanently damaged. I watched an unbiased documentary on the subject and have to admit that the evidence was overwhelming. I'm not at all sure that such strenghts are available in Thailand but in the UK, the stronger it is, the higher the price. A rise in price in Thailand may help keep the stronger varieties out of the reach of the young so recriminalisation may have an unintended beneficial effect. With the proviso of 'as long as it does not affect others', I still believe that I should be allowed to choose what I put into my body but in the light of the evidence I've seen, I think that some form of protection for the young is vital.

For those that don't know - there are dozens of bikes and cars for sale on FB Marketplace at the moment that are scams. Repo Scam They use various stories to excuse why there is no registration document - a common one at the moment is that they are reposessions which is BS........ finance companies hold the documents so they would have them if its genuine - just stay away from them all. Deposit Scam On the same platforms there are several variations of the 'Deposit Scam' - this one's been around for years in various guises. The usual script is that a bike or car is advertised at a ridiculously cheap price. You contact the seller and they will give you various stories like the owner's left the country......Bla bla bla. They've had a lot of interest but lots of messers, they are tired of being mucked around. The car is 100% but if you want to view it, send a small deposit which they will of course refund if you find it hasn't been accurately described. They will hold it for you. Many variations but same underlying story. Of course, you will be given a fake address and once you pay the deposit, you won't be able to contact them - they've got what they wanted - a deposit from you and 100 other people. I've reported dozens on Facebook and Ebay yet the ads are still up weeks later. They steal photos from other cars for sale and you will sometimes see the same photos used on different cars in different areas. One or two that I've seen are advertised as being in Bangkok, for example but the houses in the distance are clearly not in Thailand - not unless they've started building houses in Bangkok with chimneys on them. To give you an idea of how long this has been going on - I once saw a car advertised as being in Pattaya but it had a UK tax disc in the window. in any case, the UK stopped issuing tax discs in 2014 with the last ones expiring in 2015! I've seen a mix of the two scams recently too. Don't be daft, don't touch anything that isn't a straight deal.

You do exactly what the US Embassy told you to do.

There is quite a cover-all system of communication in Thailand - from national to local government and then downwards to the village head man. It shouldn't be too difficult to let the smaller festivities know that they must not carry out any unauthorised rocket launches. The problem then though is that such a rule would be ignored and of course, not enforced by the police (anyone know what they actually do by the way?). It will probably take the downing of a commercial flight to stop this stupidity and even then, I'm not so sure. Thousands die on the roads each year because laws are ignored/not enforced but nothing changes.

Based on past experience, I would make court my first resort, not last. Much better when everything is in writing.

Yes I've had several extensions to a multi and I was aware of the 17 months possibility. I just didn't realise that a 12 month extension of stay can be extended.

So many 'holier than thou' types on here. People end up in prison for many reasons and yes, they risk punishment but that punishment should be humane. If you haven't been there, you're not really in a position to comment. Remember this, just like any country, there will be a small percentage of prisoners in Thai jails that are actually innocent - like the guy in the UK that just spent 17 years in jail for a rape he didn't commit. Those people, when in Thail jails, also have to endure the disgusting conditions. Thaland has every right to hand out harsh sentences, what they don't have a moral right to do is treat people worse than animals. I note that a certain ex PM didn't spend a single day of his sentence in a jail but if he had, would he have been sent to one of those hell holes? Not a hope! Good to see him looking so well now his 'sentence' is done.

Thanks for that - good to know.

Hats off to the man for having the courage to speak out.

Yes, I know all that thank you but the post I was referring to was not correct.

Amazing - fancy that...........being able to identify a Tuk Tuk owner through his license number, completely amazing. Thailand - streets ahead again!

When will they learn that until they give foreigners the right to own land/houses, no long term visa will ever reach its full potential.

I can't help you much but I had some experience with Thai Family Courts many years ago. As you probably know, the starting position in Thailand is that custody lies with the mother. However, to deny you reasonable access the mother would have to prove you are unfit. That said, I found the Thai Family court to be very fair and they look dimly on a parent that denies access without good reason. You need to speak to a decent lawyer but I'm pretty sure they will advise you that once a court registered access agreement is made, it can be enforced if access is denied or the mother becomes awkward in other ways. I can't be 100% on this but I don't think you would need to go to court each time you visit if access was denied. I had a similar problem in the UK where previously agreed access was denied and I then went to court and obtained a court order. The police would not get involved until there was a court order but after that they did and the order applied to all future visits, not just one. I don't think the Thai system will be much different. Be aware though, that in granting an access order, the court is likely to request an order for maintenance is made. Regardless of the country, I would always recommend that access agreements are formal rather than just something agreed between each partner - people and circumstances change, as I learned to my cost. As for a Thai lawyer, which part of Thailand are we talking about?

Genuine question - trying to understand the OP's question but as many people do, he talks about his marriage visa ending when I believe he actually means his extension of stay. That being the case - are you saying that a 12 month extension of stay can be extended by 60 days?

I'm not promoting company ownership - quite the opposite. I was simply pointing out that the information posted was incorrect.