jonclark

53 minutes ago, pavloh said:

Putin goal is has and is to Denazify Ukraine and disarm. The Minsk agreements ratified by the UN we destroyed by the US and UK. There was a agreement made in Turkey a couple of months ago until BOJO went to Ukraine and destroyed it.

 

 

The west wants war 

No the west wants a special military operation. There is no war. Just ask Putin. 

What a lot alot of expats often forget is that many, many people here not only have to support themselves with daily expenses, but also have aging parents at home, who with the absence of any sort of welfare or pension are entirely dependent on their kids to support them.  So a 300 baht daily wage is split many ways.

Maybe if we walked a mile in their shoes we would have a better understanding of their lives.

56 minutes ago, steven100 said:

sorry,  I don't accept your argument that drug addicts are not criminals, I can tell you there are hundreds if not thousands of drug addicts in Thailand that are criminals and/or involved in criminal activity.... how else can they buy their fix ....   one would have to be very naive to think otherwise. 

Everyone knows right from wrong .....   everyone chooses which path he or she takes,   so a level headed kid at school would know that drugs are wrong so he's not going down that road even though his mate decides to try it ....   So there's no excuse or argument that the drug addict choose his wrong path ... he made his choice ....   surely you can understand that. 

All this from a man who believes shooting people in his first post of the day is a solution to the problem.

 Maybe you should reflect on yourself as a person before casting judgement in very broad and inaccurate strokes on other people.

Any person who thinks shooting people is a solution is probably a criminal of the highest order. Wouldn't you agree? 

24 minutes ago, steven100 said:

you may accept drug addicts and producers .....  but society doesn't.

I just don't get it '      your ok with having drug addicts on the streets ?    at the very least they need to be incarserated or is that too harsh in your book. 

I don't accept killing people, but you seem to promote it as a solution. Speaks volumes about your moral compass. 

Drug addicts are not criminals. Treating drugs addicts as criminals is what causes the societal problems we see today.  Drugs addiction is a medical condition and needs to be treated as such. Where society accepts that or not is irrelevant as it is the only solution that will work.  Societies are very good at sticking their collective heads in the sand and complaining when the problem persists. 

9 minutes ago, steven100 said:

shoot the drug makers, supplier's and addicts. They are a scourge on any society.  

So killing people is your solution. Brilliant. 

And before you jump off the deep end refering to the tragic deaths at the nursery as your justification for such a myopic and futile final solution.  Stop. You are just being opportunistic and using the deaths at the nursery to fuel your emotive nonsense.

If the war on drugs was such a resounding success the first time around...why are they still so prevalent in society. 

They will have more success trying to stop the sun setting every evening than winning a war on drugs. 

Just a knee jerk reaction to play on and exploit the fears of a country in mourning. Opportunistic politics at its finest. 

Not intentional... Maybe this couple should go to the local branch, rob it, and when caught claim it was unintentional as they have an account at that branch and just thought they were making an ordinary withdrawal. 

"They have increased from only 122 cases in all of 2021 to 103 cases within eight months of January – August 2022."

Right - so in 2021 according to the hospitals figures it was an approximate 10 a month admission rate (122/12). 

So far in 2022 it is a 13 per month admission rate. A rise of three all attributed to cannabis use and cannabis wasn't even decimalized for 6 of those 8 months as it was only decimalized in June. 

What was the admission rate for 2018, 2019 and 2020 - that might provide further context? 

I am surprised that this has been pinned on cannabis rather than the god awful economic situation, debt and stress caused by the past two year - obviously that had no impact whatsoever. 

If this is evidence then its basically nonsense.  

5 hours ago, robertson468 said:

Due to smoking cannabis my Grandson developed bi-polar mental illness, which if he does not take his prescribed medication regularly, comes back to haunt him and he gets sectioned in a hospital.  There are different strengths of cannabis and sadly few people are aware of this and that contrary to what this person has written, it can have a detrimental effect on some people, which can be very long lasting.  Further research needs to be done on this drug before Governments give it the blessing for consumption by everyone.

Whilst I sympathize with your grandson, I would like to ask that if your grandson had developed diabetes from drinking Fanta or obesity from eating too much junk food would you likewise be calling for greater regulation of those products. Obesity, cardiovascular and diabetes are far greater threats to the health of the young and their development and longevity, than having a few joints.

Obviously teenagers are curious and will try drugs or alcohol or smoking. It's part of being a teenager.  Cannabis will be the same. Young kids will want to mimic their elders. So obviously clear, enforced guidance and legislation is required to form some protection whilst also going hand in glove with improved education in Thai schools so teenagers can make informed choices and decisions. Even in liberal societies the majority of teenagers choose to not take drugs.

For me personally as someone who doesn't smoke or drink I just don't buy into the arguements that decriminalisation of cannabis will led to significant social or health issues. It's a weak arguement when you consider the range of synthetic chemicals, air and water pollutants and sugars and fats which we consume everyday. The latter pair are actively advertised and endorsed to get people to consume more.

Likewise the politicians who play on people's fears and predict the end of Thai society are just opportunistic and scaremongering.

In the 80s it was video games and video nasties that would corrupt the youth and lead to social decay. It didn't. In the 90s it was rave culture and ecstasy, got through that okay. 

I respect your points and sympathize with your grandson. 

48 minutes ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Cannabis affects the mind, reducing memory capacity and impairing judgment and logic.  Some of these effects are permanent.

 

Do as you will with giving people the option to choose for themselves, but let's hope no one tries to misrepresent as healthful the smoking of marijuana.

 

The drug's "bad image" is well deserved.

No it's does not have permanent effects.  Stop peddling misinformation. 

The degree of impact has to do with the frequency and volume consumed. Just like tobbacco, alcohol, sugar, fat, etc. Consume any of those to a high degree and you will observe a negative impact of sorts.

Cannabis is not intrinsically or inherently harmful.  No one has died of a cannabis overdose. But alcohol, tobbacco, sugar ( the surging type 2 diabetes epidemic) and fat (chronic obesity, heart disease, and vascular degeneration) have all been proven without any doubt to kill. Yet we are all happy to take our kids to KFC for a bucket while stocking up on beer and Fanta at the supermarket week in week out.

If you smoke a couple of joints a day it will do you less harm probably than walking from Asoke to Emporium and inhaling the fetid and toxic air pollution that Sukhumvit and our car spew out daily. 

The nonsense being peddled that cannabis is a gateway drug that will lead to rampant drug use amongst the youth,  creating future drug addicts, health issues the collapse of civilization etc etc is just utter nonsense.

It would be more healthy to not smoke. In the same way it would be more healthy to not suffer from air pollution, diabetes, and obesity. But smoking weed is not a threat to your life. Period.

Just complete misinformation to even suggest it is. 

If people do not wish to smoke cannabis fair enough, but let those who do get on with it. Enough of this fake news.

And FYI I do not smoke weed. (And I am not having a pop at you either) 

14 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Doubling the min wage would force all manufacturing businesses to dramatically increase their costs in turn making Thailand an unattractive place to manufacture.

 

Are the robber barons really that stupid ?

 

Don't bite the hand that feeds you comes to mind !!

Sadly though for most people the hand doesn't give them enough to feed them. 

I think before they raise the minimum wage they should sort out the state pension. about 600 baht per month...for a huge number of elderly rural people that is their sole income as they were so poor without any opportunity to save for later life. So now they rely their sate pension and any money their family can send from their minimum wage jobs.

Given the vast amounts of money companies make in profits I do not buy the arguement that they can't afford it. More like they don't want to afford it.