Thailand cannabis: From a war on drugs to weed curries

[webfact]

Thailand has given away one million cannabis plants to encourage cultivation

 

Thailand legalised cultivating and consuming cannabis this month, reversing a hard-line approach of long prison sentences or even the death penalty for drug offences. The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head reports on what's behind the dramatic change.

 

Twenty-one years ago, I had one of the more searing experiences of my journalistic career. We were invited to watch, and film, the execution of five prisoners, four of them convicted drug traffickers, by firing squad in Bangkok's Bangkwan prison.

 

The look on those men's faces, as they were walked, leg-chains clinking, to the pavilion where the executions took place, is something I shall never forget.

 

It was part of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's "war on drugs", which later escalated into the killing of many hundreds of drug suspects.

 

Full story: https://www.bbc.com/news/61836019

 

-- © Copyright BBC 2022-06-21

 

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[Thailand]

Don't like the taste don't like the smell, I guess I am not the only one?

[Thailand]

What is correct?

"Reporters were not present at the execution, but pictures of the convicts eating their last meals and kissing the earth filled television reports that evening and newspapers the next day."

From CSMonitor 2001

 

This from BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1287406.stm

 

Shot by machine gun apparently.

 

One of those shot did have 30KG of Heroin!

[Henk Langeweg]

Hundreds? Media at that time mentioned thousands (4000?).

[mrfill]

12 minutes ago, Henk Langeweg said:

Hundreds? Media at that time mentioned thousands (4000?).

You mean forty hundreds...

[starky]

Yes very much highlights the fact that "wars" on drugs are futile. Most if not all drugs should be at the very least decriminalised if not legalised. 

 Take the criminality away and its no different and potentially less harmful than the worst drugs on yhe planet nicotine and alcohol.

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, Thailand said:

Don't like the taste don't like the smell, I guess I am not the only one?

I'm with you... I don't get the fascination.

If it's medicinal and helps yes... as for all the Thai fads... sprinkled on your food or drinks

ridiculous.

[Orinoco]

14 hours ago, starky said:

Yes very much highlights the fact that "wars" on drugs are futile. Most if not all drugs should be at the very least decriminalised if not legalised. 

 Take the criminality away and its no different and potentially less harmful than the worst drugs on yhe planet nicotine and alcohol.

+1

Yes put the bad guy's out of business.

[Henryford]

We have enough problems with Thai youth without turning them into a bunch of stoners, but no doubt these new laws will get someone a load of extra cash so who cares about that.

[chalawaan]

Wait!

What about the 100 brunch casualties of the war against drugs up in the sticks yesterday? ????????????

We would be very surprised to hear any truthful follow up about that ridiculous attempt at spreading moral panic.

 

The Thai media are acting like clowns in their desperation to sensationalize the legalisation of a mild and overwhelmingly safe substance.

 

And while I'm on a roll...

 

If the WHO lied about Cannabis risks all these years, make no mistake, they're continuing to vastly exaggerate the dangers of almost every other substance out there. 

 

But, sanity will prevail!

 

 

[Orinoco]

26 minutes ago, chalawaan said:

But, sanity will prevail!

Nah.

This is Thailand,  they are special. 

[Olmate]

18 hours ago, Thailand said:

Don't like the taste don't like the smell, I guess I am not the only one?

I dont like the idiots that use it.! 

[Thailand]

14 minutes ago, Olmate said:

I dont like the idiots that use it.! 

Simply a matter of choice, just not for me.

[Bday Prang]

12 hours ago, chalawaan said:

Wait!

What about the 100 brunch casualties of the war against drugs up in the sticks yesterday? ????????????

We would be very surprised to hear any truthful follow up about that ridiculous attempt at spreading moral panic.

 

The Thai media are acting like clowns in their desperation to sensationalize the legalisation of a mild and overwhelmingly safe substance.

 

And while I'm on a roll...

 

If the WHO lied about Cannabis risks all these years, make no mistake, they're continuing to vastly exaggerate the dangers of almost every other substance out there. 

 

But, sanity will prevail!

 

 

Can't for the life of me even begin to understand the agenda of the mainstream media / gutter press with regards to this subject. is it really  that they just see it as a form of "click bait" ?    I can't for one minute  believe that they genuinely feel its a social evil from which we should all be protected. Its not just Thailand either it seems to be worldwide !   In publishing their "reefer madness" do they not realise that they are only pandering to a minority albeit a very vocal one. whilst at the same time alienating everybody else ? If they were to adopt a more unbiased fact based perspective surely more people would be inclined to read what they printed, the brainwashed prohibitionists would still read it too, albeit in open mouthed outrage. Are they being funded / lobbied by concerned 3rd parties? eg  The alcohol industry worried about losing revenue if people choose to switch their drug of choice  perhaps or maybe "big pharma" for similar obvious reasons ?