Australian man, Thai wife sentenced to death in Thailand for drug smuggling

[Artisi]

4 hours ago, monnington said:

i can never understand what makes these people take such a risk. freedom is worth more than any amount of money, and if they are that brave then they could make money legit. its just stupidity. crazy people taking stupid risks with their life. just not worth it man. even the thought of being in a thai jail scares me, i spent 1 night after drink driving a moped (never to be done again) and that was bad enough let alone the big BKK prisons. i wont even be around people smoking a bit of weed nowadays, be smart and stay away from drugs in Thailand!!

You can't understand - think about what's between their ears, it might give you a clue.

[DavisH]

On 11/14/2018 at 5:55 AM, Somtamnication said:

Note to self: do not ever bring drugs into Thailand.

It's like coals to Newcastle. really...

[Frabato]

6 hours ago, JAG said:

Whilst I entirely agree with your assertion that dishonesty (corruption) permeates the entire law enforcement establishment ( although it is not universal - not every policeman is corrupt) I would argue that to accuse the entire population of being dishonest is "way over the top". I know, and have had dealings with many honest Thais. I have also encountered some dishonest westerners.

 

As have I, in fact the times I have been ripped off in Thailand are mainly foreigners whom I assumed to be honest and tried to help. One of the most brazen of them was later appointed to manage the FCC in Bangkok, and later to a certain prestigious yacht club in Pattaya.

 

But none of that detracts from my assertion. Yes, not every policeman is corrupt but it depends upon if you define corruption too loosely. If a policeman bought his job, or accepted money for not writing a ticket, os shared in the hand-out from the petty cash box in the office orr station, then he's corrupt according to my definition.

 

I have never met a  Thai whom I would call honest, not ever, and I've met thousands, certainly enough to establish a general conclusion, though I have not met the entire population. I do however understand their culture and the central role that dishonesty plays in their culture, even (imho) a majority of Buddhist monks are addicted to thieving, Thais in general just can't help themselves and are misapplying the normal rules of human interaction because last time they did, nothing bad happened. The usual human behavioural patterns apply.

 

Perhaps our definitions of corruption and honesty are different, that's possible.

 

 

[Frabato]

21 hours ago, giddyup said:

He's correct. Drugs are rampant in Thailand, it hasn't worked in the US either. The drug cartels are the ones winning.

 

Agreed. In every nation that has banned drugs, the rationale is pretended to be the health of the nation, It isn't, in fact, Holland (for example) has shown that legalising drugs resultsin better control and safety of users.

 

The orioginal rationale, (now either long forgotten or unchangeable due to consequent loss of credibility, was control, particularly of young people.

 

A little more than 100 years ago, the fore-runner of heroin (laudanum) was legal, indeed it can still be found in small quantities in some medicines manufactured by the GPO (the government). I strongly suspect but cannot support, that at the end of the 19th C and beginning of the 20th C, drugs were made illegal at the behest of the traders, who correctly predicted that the industry would go underground and the price would go up. This is the major reason (apart from loss of credibiyt) for thinking that drugs will never be legalized. at least, not in my lifetime.

 

You might be amazed at some of the hugely rish amartya in Thailand, many of them pretending now to be reputable and honest businessmen (apart from the hugs sums paid in bribes and franchise fees) got their first foot on the ladder with opium money. They've got most people comprehensively fooled.

[Small Joke]

On 11/14/2018 at 5:54 AM, ezzra said:

I guess his goose is COOKED alright.. for me, anyone who deals for drugs for profits, he has no place among normal, everyday people....

Oh you mean like the untouchable bastards in big pharma who created the opioid crisis in Canada and USA?

As ever, the small fry go down, and the cronies of all governments walk away billionaires, no matter how big the crime.

 

I'm not saying criminals of any stripe are acceptable, I am saying the war on drugs is, was, and continues to be, a freaking farce, and a costly failure to boot.

 

Thailand is on record to be moving to decrim meth (ya-ice) and in spite of the propaganda, the govt KNOWS the harms are VASTLY exaggerated for the sole reason being to keep the population terrified, and basically, suckered as they ironically suck down their govt condoned and taxed (but make no mistake, no less dangerously addictive) booze and baccy.

 

Decriminalisation of use, and sensible harm reduction measures, cannot come to this country fast enough.

[MRDave]

On 11/13/2018 at 11:24 PM, Dave67 said:

I must say you have to admire their balls half a tonne of meth

What you call balls, I call stupidity of the highest order. Anyone who smuggles crystal meth, deserves all they are about to recieve. People should get that romantic notion of Hells Angels out of their heads once and for all. They are nothing more than an organized crime syndicate, using the good name of war heroes who in real life would not give them the time of day.

[MRDave]

On 11/13/2018 at 11:24 PM, Dave67 said:

I must say you have to admire their balls half a tonne of meth

What you call balls, I call stupidity of the highest order. Anyone who smuggles crystal meth, deserves all they are about to recieve. People should get that romantic notion of Hells Angels out of their heads once and for all. They are nothing more than an organized crime syndicate, using the good name of war heroes who in real life would not give them the time of day.

[janclaes47]

5 hours ago, Small Joke said:

Thailand is on record to be moving to decrim meth (ya-ice) 

I would like to see a credible source for that claim.

 

On record to decriminalize a class 1 drug, yeah right

[Dave67]

15 hours ago, MRDave said:

What you call balls, I call stupidity of the highest order. Anyone who smuggles crystal meth, deserves all they are about to recieve. People should get that romantic notion of Hells Angels out of their heads once and for all. They are nothing more than an organized crime syndicate, using the good name of war heroes who in real life would not give them the time of day.

So good you posted it twice

[fusion58]

Play stupid games - win stupid prizes.

[akirasan]

On 11/15/2018 at 5:16 AM, monnington said:

i can never understand what makes these people take such a risk.

There is a very, very small chance of being caught. The amount of drugs that are being trafficked at any given time is huge.

[tominbkk]

On 11/14/2018 at 6:00 AM, Fex Bluse said:

I suppose I agree, but to be consistent we would need to feel the same about the pharma companies. 

 

For example, where Marijuana was illegal, now that it's a commercial opportunity, wrapped up in corporate speak, everyone is OK with it. 

Big difference between Cannabis and Crystal Meth. 

 

Anyone I know from childhood who did and even still smoke pot recreationally are just fine.  Good jobs, stable people. 

 

OTOH, I have three friends who at one point in their early adulthood got hooked on crystal.  They are shells of the people they used to be.  Brains and bodies shattered, just making it by in skeletal bodies.

[Artisi]

On 11/15/2018 at 3:06 PM, Small Joke said:

Oh you mean like the untouchable bastards in big pharma who created the opioid crisis in Canada and USA?

As ever, the small fry go down, and the cronies of all governments walk away billionaires, no matter how big the crime.

 

I'm not saying criminals of any stripe are acceptable, I am saying the war on drugs is, was, and continues to be, a freaking farce, and a costly failure to boot.

 

Thailand is on record to be moving to decrim meth (ya-ice) and in spite of the propaganda, the govt KNOWS the harms are VASTLY exaggerated for the sole reason being to keep the population terrified, and basically, suckered as they ironically suck down their govt condoned and taxed (but make no mistake, no less dangerously addictive) booze and baccy.

 

Decriminalisation of use, and sensible harm reduction measures, cannot come to this country fast enough.

So the big pharma's can cash in on the supply, promote it so more get hooked while increasing the price..... 

[Small Joke]

On 11/15/2018 at 9:01 PM, janclaes47 said:

I would like to see a credible source for that claim.

 

On record to decriminalize a class 1 drug, yeah right

OK here: https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-09-07/thailand-moving-closer-decriminalizing-meth

and here: http://time.com/4371163/thailand-decriminalize-methamphetamine-meth-ice-drugs-policy/

 

And in case you're too lazy to click it, as you didn't bother Googling it for yourself.  Here's the first few paragraphs; this was also an article here on TVN in late 2016...

 

"The war on drugs is futile. So why not just decriminalize meth?

It’s not a sentiment you’d expect from senior officials in any authoritarian country — let alone from a strait-laced army general, draped in medals, who came to power in a coup.

But Thailand’s top law enforcement officer is now pursuing this radical notion with vigor.

 

He’s talking openly about a potential new diktat, issued by military rulers, that would allow citizens to smoke meth without fearing prison.

“The world has lost the war on drugs,” said Thailand’s Justice Minister Paiboon Khumchaya, according to Reuters. “Not only Thailand.”

These are startling statements in a country that, as it stands, still executes drug traffickers.

The Thai government’s drug policy is quite harsh. After all, in recent decades, the nation’s police have largely mimicked the zealous drug war mindset propagated by the United States.

Yet now, seemingly out of nowhere, this typically rigid junta is spouting soft views on narcotics — namely meth — that fall somewhere to the left of many Colorado stoners."

 

There ya go.

Happy now? I guess not. :p

Edited November 17, 2018 by Small Joke

[Small Joke]

2 hours ago, tominbkk said:

Big difference between Cannabis and Crystal Meth. 

 

Anyone I know from childhood who did and even still smoke pot recreationally are just fine.  Good jobs, stable people. 

 

OTOH, I have three friends who at one point in their early adulthood got hooked on crystal.  They are shells of the people they used to be.  Brains and bodies shattered, just making it by in skeletal bodies.

Heres the rub.

Alcohol also creates sidewalk bums, but most of us, even the heavy drinkers, hold good jobs, and are stable people.

In my youth I used meth, it was great fun, basically it turns users, especially the ladies, into all-night love machines, no exaggeration, which is WHY it is so popular. But, the risk/reward profile was soon evident, it can also interfere with male potency after overdoing it, and I moved on. No lasting harm done.

Now lets extrapolate all the tonnes of meth out there, to the relatively few but very highly profiled 'meth heads'. 

Regardless of the propaganda they feed us, you owe it to yourself to start crunching the numbers. You may not like drugs, but that does not mean you want to be swallowing Kool aid, because if you do it for drugs, they'll be happy to brainwash you in any way they can.

Is meth harmful?

Hell yeah! But most people just get diminishing returns long before it is addictive, and addiction is in the person, not the substance. Millions of patients take post operative opioid pain relief, and don't develop dependency.

 

The problem the US and Canada are facing, is that when the Doctor turns off the legitimate supply, innocently addicted patients only recourse becomes the criminal market, and that's the point where the overdoses and deaths occur.

 

Fact is clean and measured opiate will never kill anyone. Queen Victoria, by all accounts a competent Monarch, used Opium for a great deal of her reign, and Cocaine -the very thing that created the rise of meth, when the coke supply became too restricted.

Are you beginning to see not just why, but HOW prohibition is the problem, and not the drugs?. 

 

Coming back to our comparisons, is alcohol harmful? Clinicians without an agenda will tell you they're likely about equal in harm/addiction rates, so why the moral panic over one and not the other?

Would the world fall apart if it were legal? Probably not.

But: Taxes would more than cover the health issues, and criminals would be out of a trillion dollar business.

Or, we can go on pissing up a rope.

Edited November 17, 2018 by Small Joke