A Minor Pot Bust Can Get You Permenantly Banned From Thailand?

[dantilley]

Yep, us proud British made a lot of money drug dealing.

In response to the OP, if you get caught with drugs you might get off with a fine, you might go to jail and/or you might get deported. I expect it depends on the circumstances of your arrest.

That just about sums it up. It depends on where you are smoking and upon the police office who catches you.

E.g. smoking on the streets of central Bangkok is pretty stupid and you can be sure to be arrested and dealt with harshly. But you can smoke pretty much freely with little risk of being caught on some islands such as Koh Tao, Koh Chang and Koh Lanta, some Koh Pha Ngan beaches (not Haad Rin though) and a few in-land places such as Pai in Mae Hong Son.

I'm pretty sure you can't be banned from Thailand for life for just a joint though.

mate, i would love to see you pull out a joint on these islands and toke on in public.

many a time ive walked past the police station on koh tao and theres some farang banged up for getting caught.

there's plenty of smoke available, but one must still be very carefull where he lights up, as if a cop sees you its party time.

there are certain places that the cops stay away from as they have been payed off but outside these places farang are fair game.

get caught and you pay 60,000 baht to walk.

Really? There's a police station on Koh Tao? Never knew that, where is it exactly?

Anyway, yeah, common sense should prevail as usual. Crowded, touristy beaches are best avoided. But on Thailand's more rustic, quiet beaches you'll usually be OK, or at least it was last time I went to those places when I was in to those kind of things. Not smoked for a couple of years now though...

[terry57]

Yep, us proud British made a lot of money drug dealing.

In response to the OP, if you get caught with drugs you might get off with a fine, you might go to jail and/or you might get deported. I expect it depends on the circumstances of your arrest.

That just about sums it up. It depends on where you are smoking and upon the police office who catches you.

E.g. smoking on the streets of central Bangkok is pretty stupid and you can be sure to be arrested and dealt with harshly. But you can smoke pretty much freely with little risk of being caught on some islands such as Koh Tao, Koh Chang and Koh Lanta, some Koh Pha Ngan beaches (not Haad Rin though) and a few in-land places such as Pai in Mae Hong Son.

I'm pretty sure you can't be banned from Thailand for life for just a joint though.

mate, i would love to see you pull out a joint on these islands and toke on in public.

many a time ive walked past the police station on koh tao and theres some farang banged up for getting caught.

there's plenty of smoke available, but one must still be very carefull where he lights up, as if a cop sees you its party time.

there are certain places that the cops stay away from as they have been payed off but outside these places farang are fair game.

get caught and you pay 60,000 baht to walk.

Really? There's a police station on Koh Tao? Never knew that, where is it exactly?

Anyway, yeah, common sense should prevail as usual. Crowded, touristy beaches are best avoided. But on Thailand's more rustic, quiet beaches you'll usually be OK, or at least it was last time I went to those places when I was in to those kind of things. Not smoked for a couple of years now though...

turn left at the pier and walk up to the public school which is on the right hand side of the hill.

police station is opposite the school.

trust me mate, as i helped pay for it in 1989.

and yes, you must be careful where you light up.

[Jet Gorgon]

Terry57 "trust me mate, as i helped pay for it in 1989."

Oh, was that a boy scout endeavour with Tutsiwarrior?

[baboon]

I always tell anyone interested in doing drugs here fine, up to you but dont be the one caught by an uncorruptable Policeman, slung in jail and face a judge who did not get any horizontal hula the night before and sick of foreigners coming to his country and thinking they can act as they please. The consequences will not be pleasent.

Do what you like, just dont send me the bill.

[Boon Mee]

Hello, police? Yes I found some bags of pot under my son's bed. How much pot? Oh, about 44lbs. I guess...

[glenbat]

Anyone who has anything to do with drugs in Thailand or SEA is stupid.

Same same... Spot on Britmav

God, if you cant relax enough in Thailand without 'assistance' there's no hope for you!

[mogoso]

Anyone who has anything to do with drugs in Thailand or SEA is stupid.

That's a bit harsh. Perhaps just ignorant. But yeah, if you know what the consequences can be, then it's stupid. But many are just ignorant.

To respond to the original poster's question, I think it'd be a rare case that was banned from Thailand for a minor pot bust.

We all know drugs can get you in big trouble in Thailand, or should, and it does happen. However, a Thai friend of mine got caught at one of those club raids where they test everyone's urine. She had taken ecstacy. Finally, five years later she had to serve about 20 days in a drug rehab place and that was it. She had a good lawyer, though.

Just saying you're not always going to get the short end of the stick. The law in writing is often more harsh than the actual application in Thailand.

Lets examine the other side of the stick. Five years of stress and worry about what may or not occur at some point in the future. The expense and hassle of having an attorney that you must visit with occasionally taking away from other more fruitful activities. Then at the end, twenty wasted days in a drug rehab center. To me theres easier ways to live, just don't do drugs.

[jimithai]

Midnight Express - movie about Turkey and hashish. The consequences are simular and what the foriegner did, what the family went through and how he ESCAPED are a true event.

Good watching and educational pertaining to many countries where the drug cartels - no matter what ethnic origin - have the ability to make big issues out of foreigners - and their exploits and habits - to mask what is really going on behind the curtains they keep so rigidly closed to the rest of the world.

[meloncoly]

Midnight Express - movie about Turkey and hashish. The consequences are simular and what the foriegner did, what the family went through and how he ESCAPED are a true event.

a lot of things added to midnight express, how he escaped is completely made up for the film.

sorry to bump this, but does anybody know the current prices for weed in thailand?

not that I'd ever smoke it there OBVIOUSLY

[Jet Gorgon]

sorry to bump this, but does anybody know the current prices for weed in thailand?

not that I'd ever smoke it there OBVIOUSLY

Bt60,000 for one joint (price payable to policeman who busts yer sorry a**).

[peter991]

Someone told me that even a minor pot bust can get one banned from the country for life. Is this true?

After all the replies, has anybody considered if the original OP had been charged and convicted for a 'minor pot bust' in their own country - and now wants to know if they will be allowed to enter Thailand as a result?

Peter

[Crossy]

Someone told me that even a minor pot bust can get one banned from the country for life. Is this true?

After all the replies, has anybody considered if the original OP had been charged and convicted for a 'minor pot bust' in their own country - and now wants to know if they will be allowed to enter Thailand as a result?

That's a possible interpretation, but certainly not the first I thought of

Somewhat moot now, the OP hasn't been seen since mid-January. Probably got nicked with a small amount of pot and is discovering the answer first hand.

[Jet Gorgon]

Someone told me that even a minor pot bust can get one banned from the country for life. Is this true?

After all the replies, has anybody considered if the original OP had been charged and convicted for a 'minor pot bust' in their own country - and now wants to know if they will be allowed to enter Thailand as a result?

That's a possible interpretation, but certainly not the first I thought of

Somewhat moot now, the OP hasn't been seen since mid-January. Probably got nicked with a small amount of pot and is discovering the answer first hand.

Love ya, Crossy.

[Tilokarat]

Are you sure that it was the British who introduced opium to Siam? You might be correct but it is always useful to remember that when the British fought their first wars against Burma in the early 19th century they discovered that Burmese troops has been using opium grown in Yunnan, China.

Another myth worth analysing is the one that states the British flooded China with opium. The British certainly, along with Americans and others, brought opium to China, usually offshore. But it was the Chinese that flooded China with opium. The British and other foreigners were confined to Macau and Canton. They were not permitted to travel into the interior of China. It was Chinese traders who sold opium within China. The Chinese officials usually sent their ships to the British anchored off Lantau island to purchase opium for sale within China. Even after the opium trade was legalised in China, foreigners could not sell opium directly to Chinese. Only Chinese businessmen could sell opium to Chinese.

If you look at history you will find that on the eve of the First Anglo-China War, Lord Palmerston stated that it was up to China if they wanted to ban the opium trade or not, although he felt the ban was a protectionist policy to protect the Chinese opium industry. What the British objected to, and the history texts, overlook, is that the British government was upset by the blockade of the foreign community in Canton by Lin in which a representative of the British government, was trapped. It was a legal problem. To the Chinese collective responsibility is alright. Everyone is responsible, and treated as guilty, until the opium is surrendered. In the west, there is due process of law to determine the guilty party. The British objection was that everyone was treated as guilty. The treatment of the British representative was an insult to British honour. There is no way Palmerston could accept that or the British would have looked weak. Weakness in a Imperial power leads to problems.

Thanks for the suggestion, bu that actually happened in 2003 here - several thousand of them were extrajudically murdered (one or the other friend and acquintance of mine included), most within two months, a few innocents as well. Personally, even though i do not agree with repressive druglaws, i do prefer due process given the options you point out.

But maybe you do not come from a modern society and therefore have difficulties to understand the concept of human rights and due process, and its advantages.

And basically, no, hill tribes are not allowed to grow these substances and use them. They do that clandestinely, and get punished when caught. It is not just hill tribes who traditionally use Ganja, ethnic Thais do as well.

Opium was a relatively recent introduction into the area. It was introduced by the British who made lots of money by selling it to China in exchange for tea. Two wars in the mid 19th century were fought over this issue with China, which tried to refuse the British policy of selling opium. China lost the opium wars.

A few links about this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium

And one to show how long the substance of opium, for example, has accompanied humanity without its legal use having extinguished us:

http://opioids.com/timeline/index.html

[Beavis and Butthead]

Anyone who has anything to do with drugs in Thailand or SEA is stupid.

I agree with you dude