Royal Thai Police to conduct prosecutions against illegal cannabis sales

[snoop1130]

 

The Ministry of Public Health has issued an urgent letter to the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police to conduct immediate legal prosecutions against cannabis researchers, sellers, exporters, and processors who are not holding legal licenses.

 

According to the letter, the Public Health Ministry informed the Royal Thai Police to collaborate with officers to enforce the law under Section 46 of the Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine Wisdom Act, B.E. 2542 (1999), to conduct arrests and proceed with legal prosecution against any person or juristic person who fails to comply with the said Act in the following cases:

 

• Those who are not legally allowed to study cannabis
• Those who did not request permission to export cannabis
• Those who are not legally allowed to sell marijuana
• Those who did not ask for permission to process cannabis for commercial purposes.

 

Analysis:

 

TPN Media notes that more details of the announcement are still limited, in exact terms of who should be granting the permission or what having the permission means.

 

The order does not forbid the use of cannabis so private smoking or possession is still legal. The order is essentially using a 1999 herb act to control the sales and distribution of cannabis, citing that permission needs to be granted from relevant agencies.

 

Under this prior herb act, the licenses were generally 10,000 to 20,000 baht depending on the purpose. It is not crystal clear however if the process would be exactly the same and multiple Thai media sources have reported that Thai dispensaries and sellers attempting to reach relevant health departments or licensing divisions today have either been turned away or their calls and e-mails not answered, likely because the divisions are just as surprised by the abrupt order.

 

Full Story: https://thepattayanews.com/2022/07/27/ministry-of-public-health-grants-royal-thai-police-authority-to-conduct-prosecutions-against-illegal-cannabis-sales-but-confusion-reigns/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2022-07-27

 

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[damen]

licenses were generally 10,000 to 20,000 baht. Oh i see. Seems like the funds will come soon and fill up those bottomless hole

 

[Bkk Brian]

All those dodgy sellers on F.B. are going to be all over themselves deleting posts..................lol

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post and a reply has been removed.

[internationalism]

so now have to pay to Dr Anutin Bumjaithai mafia-style political party for licences, permits, certification etc.

Half money under table, as per usual, plus 10% from profits.

That's a great income for a political party just before the general election for vote buying.

The most lucrative part of business - processing and export, will be limited only to dr Anutin associates.

Everything according to master plan, written yet before the last general election - engineer Anutin for health ministry to monopolise ganja for Buriram province

[DezLez]

17 minutes ago, internationalism said:

Everything according to master plan, written yet before the last general election - engineer Anutin for health ministry to monopolise ganja for Buriram province

What did you expect?

T.I.T.S!

[GeorgeCross]

order has been rescinded!

 

seriously can't make this <deleted> up lol

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/weed-whiplash-arrest-order-for-dispensary-operators-revoked-after-spreading-confusion-fear/

 

 

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

order has been rescinded!

 

seriously can't make this <deleted> up lol

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/weed-whiplash-arrest-order-for-dispensary-operators-revoked-after-spreading-confusion-fear/

 

 

Utter chaos, another fine example of just why this whole thing on June 9th should not have been rushed through before appropriate laws and regulations were in place. 

 

"officials jumped the gun by insisting on licenses that don’t actually exist nor were required by law."

“That’s exactly the point,” he said. “Welcome to Thailand.”

[daveAustin]

Don't know why folk are getting bent out of shape. It's cool, you can still smoke but inevitable there'll be some eventual regulation else we'll all end up toking tat.

[internationalism]

ok, they have rescinded this order as 17:00.

for how long?

"Speaking at a 5pm news conference, alongside Yongyos Thammawut of the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Department, Deputy Secretary of Health Narong Saiwong said he would review the order and “reconsider” the matter again for whatever can “bring utmost benefit to people.”

“As for concerns that there will be enforcement and arrest, I assure you that it probably won’t happen yet,” Yongyos told reporters at the hastily arranged news conference."

[smedly]

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Ministry of Public Health has issued an urgent letter to the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police to conduct immediate legal prosecutions against cannabis researchers, sellers, exporters, and processors who are not holding legal licenses.

oh here we go ..............it is illegal unless you are me 

 

you couldn't make it up

 

anyone see what is developing here - I saw it weeks ago

[2baht]

Quick, shut the gate, the horse has...............................................................bolted!

[BritManToo]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Ministry of Public Health has issued an urgent letter to the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police to conduct immediate legal prosecutions against cannabis researchers, sellers, exporters, and processors who are not holding legal licenses.

Do the MoPH have the right to issue instructions to the police?

I'm thinking laws need to be issued by parliament then published in the Royal Gazette.

[Gknrd]

Lets see millions of plants given out, so basically millions of ticket to be written.. Every Thai in Thailand will be subsidizing their income in the next few years..

[wombat]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Do the MoPH have the right to issue instructions to the police?

I'm thinking laws need to be issued by parliament then published in the Royal Gazette.

No...yes...yes.

I love multiple choice exams.

Did I pass?

[2baht]

Just now, wombat said:

No...yes...yes.

I love multiple choice exams.

Did I pass?

The correct answer is.........................maybe!

[metisdead]

A post with a trolling image has been removed.

[wealthychef]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Royal Thai Police to collaborate with officers to enforce the law

Translation:  bribery costs just went up. 

[klauskunkel]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

legal prosecutions against cannabis researchers, sellers, exporters, and processors who are not holding legal licenses

"I had a medicinal toke and the license thing suddenly became less urgent"

that could become quite a reasonable legal defense

[bamnutsak]

Chalk this up to, well, general incompetence. Yes, another in the long line of "Generals" here.

 

Invoking an edict - was it even Gazetted? - and asking the Police to enforce it overnight is preposterous, even for Thailand.

 

That said, DTAM licenses are available, quite a few Thais applied yesterday, the filing fee is 20 baht. The license fee is 3,000 baht to sell, and 1,000 baht to "process".

 

Requiring a license seems reasonable to me.

 

In a way this is sort of good news as it points out some of the procedures which need to be covered in the Cannabis Control Act.

 

Cannabis activist Kitty Chopaka pointed out that 7/11, among many other retail outlets, has a bunch of Cannabis-derived products for sale, and yet they haven't applied for a license to sell "herb-derived" products.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IAMHERE]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Under this prior herb act, the licenses were generally 10,000 to 20,000 baht depending on the purpose

Well at least it seems that there is a suggestion for brown envelope contents. I knew a way would be found.

[bradiston]

This is out of date. There is an update on a site that we are forbidden from linking to. The letter was recalled, if such a thing is possible.

[gunner1]

Amazing! they legalize pot, and now they can't control the sale! only in Thailand. open the flood gates and everyone will have a plant in their back yard.

 

[shackleton]

This has been a disorganised mess from the beginning the left hand does not know what the right is doing ???? 

It all sounded to good to be true when it started off to entice more Tourism to Thailand ????

[peterfranks]

I recall reading from day one that a license would be needed to sell, which is nothing more than normal, but of course as always in Thailand, laws apply only to the others.

[tomacht8]

What a regulatory mess. Why aren't weed sales licenses issued in the same way as alcohol and cigarette licenses? Namely at the local business office. Why is the health authority pushing its way in and now wanting to collect funds from business operators. There is a lack of coordination between the various ministries on a horizontal level.

[Henryford]

Typical thai approach. Issue some ambiguous law then they can either get big money for a "licence" or the Police can scam you for even more money for breaking the law.

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Ministry of Public Health has issued an urgent letter to the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police to conduct immediate legal prosecutions against cannabis researchers, sellers, exporters, and processors who are not holding legal licenses.

Here we go... 

 

17 hours ago, damen said:

licenses were generally 10,000 to 20,000 baht. Oh i see. Seems like the funds will come soon and fill up those bottomless hole

 

When Anutin said trillions of baht for the making for the public he actually meant others.

[crazykopite]

It appears the left hand doesn’t know what the right hands doing it’s either legal or illegal which one is it !

[MrJ2U]

Push it underground.

 

People realize its like growing a Tomatoes.  Why deal with the Thai bureaucracy.