Thaksin compares marijuana to opium, says education is needed and proper science

[webfact]

Daily News Thai Caption: Extracts must be produced properly

 

Tony Woodsome - previously known as fugitive Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - went on Facebook last night.

 

The theme of his address to Thais was how current premier Prayuth Chan-ocha is unable to cope with the "destroyed economy".

 

But Daily News chose to ignore that and focus on a segment in which Thaksin talked about the hot topic of the hour - legalized weed.

 

He compared the drug to opium, spoke of its alleged addictive qualities, his personal experiences seeing friends "fearing they would jump" and called for proper science and education.

 

He said:

 

"When opium first came on the scene it also had lots of properties that people would use it for. But it was used recreationally and abused.

 

"This then led to heroin".

 

The people need education, so do youth and the little kids.

 

It shouldn't just be a free for all growing it. If people grow more than 20 plants then the state needs to benefit by taxation. 

 

It shouldn't just be a vote grabber then forget all about it.

 

He spoke of his friends in his police training days who he said overdosed and he thought they would jump off high building. 

 

"I saw it with my own eyes", he claimed

 

"Every drug has a plus and minus side".

 

He spoke of how he took a cheaply available ganja product in a capsule that helped him sleep but noted the bad dreams it caused.

 

"The extracts need to be done properly," he cautioned. 

 

The Facebook "live" session came on the same day that Jonathan Head of the BBC wrote about the change of the law in Thailand and how he was taken to a mass execution of drugs' prisoners in the days of Thaksin's so called "War on Drugs" that left perhaps 2,500 dead, some in mysterious circumstances. 

 

 

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[stoner]

yet another uneducated fool opening his pie hole about something he knows nothing about. 

 

 

[robblok]

Of course he would be against it given that his enemies came up with it. What an idiot comparing both. I bet he does not demonize alcohol because he made money with it. 

 

Kinda like the Mayor of BKK who talked about the first death from marijuana and then in the autopsy it was shown that the guy did not even had THC in his blood and an heart condition.

 

Kinda like the US reefer madness model. You either ban alcohol and mariuana as the fist is far more dangerous or you let them both be.

 

He is right about education about marijuana but same should go for alcohol too, how much violence it causes and road deaths. Its a smart thing to educate people about he dangers but it should be realistic because if you make it overly negative then people  wont believe you. It should be based up by real facts, not made to steer you in a certain direction. Otherwise people will not believe the information your trying to teach.

[robblok]

4 minutes ago, stoner said:

yet another uneducated fool opening his pie hole about something he knows nothing about. 

 

 

He is not stupid, he only mentions it because he can attack the government. Just like the BKK governor with his first marijuana death (within days of opening it up). First in the world ever.  And then after autopsy no THC was found in the blood and a heart condition discovered.

 

It is all about politics they just cant accept something of the other side that is popular. But that is not just Thaksin and his minions same goes for the opposition. 

[keith101]

I dont know why they still publish anything this criminal has to say , they should just ignore him IMO .

[stoner]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

He is not stupid

didn't say he was stupid. ????

 

[SunnyinBangrak]

Not the first time a parent with a junkie kid made an emotional yet factually wrong outburst on drugs.

[PremiumLane]

If he had his way he would have people murdered for taking it.... oh wait, he already tried that

[2baht]

There are No drug takers in Thailand, YOU (Thaksin) killed them years ago!

[robblok]

Just now, 2baht said:

There are No drug takers in Thailand, YOU (Thaksin) killed them years ago!

Oh yes he was the one that allowed the police to kill drug users. How can anyone forget. I did actually but thanks for bringing it up. I bet a part of the farang community would love to see marijuana criminalized again.

 

I can remember the discussions when this came up and also that it would never happen according to them. I also did not expect this. If there is one good thing about this government and I mean just one.. then its this.

[ThailandRyan]

Opium made from Poppy's, Marijuana bud smoked directly from the plant.  Can you get high from smoking a Poppy, my friends blowfish wants to know.....

[daveAustin]

Hey, I love your work Tony (WT…? ????????), but please stop with your agenda and butt out. So you took some ganja extract and had dodgy dreams? Not the same thing, old bean + those dreams are likely through some of the bad stuff you also did. 

This gov has done many wrongs, gawd knows, but this time—perhaps to deflect from wider issues, perhaps to wean people off the hard stuff, perhaps to make folk even more compliant… whatever—this time they’ve done something right. So, yes, wind your neck in Tony (????????????) and butt out. 

[Misterwhisper]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Tony Woodsome - previously known as fugitive Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - went on Facebook last night.

Oh, he's "Tony Woodsome" now? I thought he was still "Thakki Shinegra". At least that's the name in his Montenegrin passport.

[Pouatchee]

47 minutes ago, robblok said:

Of course he would be against it given that his enemies came up with it.

Yup! 

What a buffoon. But he will obviously get some people to believe him. Back to the days of witch hunts and making gold from lead. 

[Gottfrid]

47 minutes ago, stoner said:

didn't say he was stupid. ????

 

What do you normally call a person you describe as an uneducated person with another name? So, yes, in a way you did.

[2baht]

25 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

Oh, he's "Tony Woodsome" now? I thought he was still "Thakki Shinegra". At least that's the name in his Montenegrin passport.

Khun ToNee! He would just love to be a farang!

[stoner]

23 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

What do you normally call a person you describe as an uneducated person with another name? So, yes, in a way you did.

uneducated in regards to cannabis. thought that was quite clear. 

[Credo]

I tend to believe that the medicinal properties are greatly exaggerated.  There is no doubt it has benefit for some, but I think most people are simply wanting to enjoy the euphoric benefits.  

 

Keeping it illegal, however, comes at great cost.  The war on drugs has come at a horrific cost and at least this is a start.  I can't for the life of me understand why the gov't would encourage people to grow it though and would distribute plants.  

[BritManToo]

43 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Opium made from Poppy's, Marijuana bud smoked directly from the plant.  Can you get high from smoking a Poppy, my friends blowfish wants to know.....

Would point out

With MJ you need to cut the flower and dry before smoking.

With Opium you need to scrape the seed cone, then dry before smoking.

 

Doesn't seem a lot of difference in the two process to me.

I enjoy them both (when given the legal opportunity).

 

[2baht]

2 minutes ago, Credo said:

   I can't for the life of me understand why the gov't would encourage people to grow it though and would distribute plants.  

Well, it's not rocket science, just say no!

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, keith101 said:

I dont know why they still publish anything this criminal has to say , they should just ignore him IMO .

Because he's still widely popular among many Thais? Certainly far more popular than the current bunch of incumbents. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

25 minutes ago, 2baht said:

Khun ToNee! He would just love to be a farang!

They all would. Haven't you noticed?

 

White skin, breast and facial surgery to look more like us. 

[Gottfrid]

1 hour ago, stoner said:

uneducated in regards to cannabis. thought that was quite clear. 

Yeah, so cannabis is totally harmless, right? Wait know! Is it time to repeat the old one about alcohol?

[freedomnow]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

He spoke of his friends in his police training days who he said overdosed and he thought they would jump off high building. 

 

"I saw it with my own eyes", he claimed

More Reefer Madness stories unfold.....

 

Probably no 711's back then late night for when the munchies hit.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Tony Woodsome

Why would anybody listen to someone who calls himself such a stupid name?

 

It must be really hard for the fugitive to accept that he is someone from the past. It's time to retire and grow roses in the desert. 

[billsmart]

I agree with Thaksin up to a point. I'd say marijuana is closer to alcohol than opium. But in saying that, I'd also say it more addictive than alcohol. Marijuana, IMO, might have some medical benefits in specific instances, but for the everyday person, it's much like getting drunk. It removes a lot of your inhibitions and puts you in a dreamy state that reduces your desire to do anything. It's like it makes you very lazy, but content.

I think it should definitely be discouraged.

[robblok]

13 minutes ago, billsmart said:

I agree with Thaksin up to a point. I'd say marijuana is closer to alcohol than opium. But in saying that, I'd also say it more addictive than alcohol. Marijuana, IMO, might have some medical benefits in specific instances, but for the everyday person, it's much like getting drunk. It removes a lot of your inhibitions and puts you in a dreamy state that reduces your desire to do anything. It's like it makes you very lazy, but content.

I think it should definitely be discouraged.

Your a bit uninformed, but that is normal on this forum of alcohol lovers. How about we let science tell us instead of your....

 

As a self confessed Author would you not first do some research ?

 

But yes it should be discouraged and given this graph alcohol should be discoraged even more.

 

Source Mayoclinic 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538401/

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by robblok

[JCauto]

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Yeah, so cannabis is totally harmless, right? Wait know! Is it time to repeat the old one about alcohol?

Who said that? It of course is far less harmful than alcohol, as you helpfully pointed out. Do you find hysterical and untrue statements to help a debate or do they just further muddy the waters? Speaking of which, there's another musical genius who found inspiration in the devil's lettuce. 

[robblok]

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Yeah, so cannabis is totally harmless, right? Wait know! Is it time to repeat the old one about alcohol?

Cannabis it certainly not harmless, but compared to alcohol its less harmful and less addictive. 

 

People should be educated about cannabis based on real facts. It certainly is not perfect, especially if you smoke it. But vaping or eating makes it less harmful. It of course has negative effects too. Just make sure to put them in a clear perspective.

 

Much science has shown alcohol to be worse, so acting like its worse is stupid. Dont overblow risks and negatives, but show them how they are. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538401/ 

[orchis]

Just now, Mr Meeseeks said:

They all would. Haven't you noticed?

 

White skin, breast and facial surgery to look more like us. 

they don't want your man boobs.