Drugs to be an election issue as Anutin digs in insisting that attitudes must change on cannabis

[webfact]

 

by Joseph O' Connor

 

Clash of outlook and culture over Cannabis will now define the Bhumjaithai Party in the months running up to a General Election in Thailand.

 

Aside from the handling of the country’s pandemic emergency by Deputy Prime Minister Anutin, seen by the public as having a devastating impact on the economy, this signature policy achievement of Mr Anutin is also now in the crosshairs of not only opposition parties in parliament but also Minister Anutin’s key coalition partner, the Democrat Party, other MPs on the government benches and indeed some within his own Bhumjaithai Party who also do not support the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use by the public.

Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul insisted on Saturday that to even suggest that Thailand should again criminalise marijuana or cannabis was wrong. He said the new cannabis law defeated in parliament last week was an attempt to change the public’s perception of the drug which he insisted had a bad image and was treated unfairly. His comments were directly contradictory to the opposition Pheu Thai Party which criticised the government’s handling of the issue by proposing a law to outlaw the recreational use of the drug but then failing to deliver.

 

Deputy Pheu Thai Party leader and MP for Maha Sarakham, Sutin Klangsang, said that the drug should never have been decriminalised in June this year after the regulation decriminalising cannabis was signed by Minister Anutin. As it stood last week, he said the new law had no provision making the recreational use of marijuana illegal and that failure to make it illegal, with the current free for all use of the substance, will see even more people jailed as they become addicted to drugs in Thailand.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/09/18/drugs-an-election-issue-as-anutin-digs-in/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2022-09-19

 

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[smedly]

fool

 

watch how this evolves and who controls it, all about money

 

it will take a while but at some point someone will realize this was a very stupid thing to do

[AsianAtHeart]

Cannabis affects the mind, reducing memory capacity and impairing judgment and logic.  Some of these effects are permanent.

 

Do as you will with giving people the option to choose for themselves, but let's hope no one tries to misrepresent as healthful the smoking of marijuana.

 

The drug's "bad image" is well deserved.

[RichardColeman]

Drugs to be an election issue as Anutin digs in insisting that attitudes must change on cannabis

 

Any time that a Thai politician says MUST, you know there is money involved somewhere

[jonclark]

48 minutes ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Cannabis affects the mind, reducing memory capacity and impairing judgment and logic.  Some of these effects are permanent.

 

Do as you will with giving people the option to choose for themselves, but let's hope no one tries to misrepresent as healthful the smoking of marijuana.

 

The drug's "bad image" is well deserved.

No it's does not have permanent effects.  Stop peddling misinformation. 

 

The degree of impact has to do with the frequency and volume consumed. Just like tobbacco, alcohol, sugar, fat, etc. Consume any of those to a high degree and you will observe a negative impact of sorts.

 

Cannabis is not intrinsically or inherently harmful.  No one has died of a cannabis overdose. But alcohol, tobbacco, sugar ( the surging type 2 diabetes epidemic) and fat (chronic obesity, heart disease, and vascular degeneration) have all been proven without any doubt to kill. Yet we are all happy to take our kids to KFC for a bucket while stocking up on beer and Fanta at the supermarket week in week out.

 

If you smoke a couple of joints a day it will do you less harm probably than walking from Asoke to Emporium and inhaling the fetid and toxic air pollution that Sukhumvit and our car spew out daily. 

 

The nonsense being peddled that cannabis is a gateway drug that will lead to rampant drug use amongst the youth,  creating future drug addicts, health issues the collapse of civilization etc etc is just utter nonsense.

 

It would be more healthy to not smoke. In the same way it would be more healthy to not suffer from air pollution, diabetes, and obesity. But smoking weed is not a threat to your life. Period.

 

Just complete misinformation to even suggest it is. 

 

If people do not wish to smoke cannabis fair enough, but let those who do get on with it. Enough of this fake news.

 

And FYI I do not smoke weed. (And I am not having a pop at you either) 

Edited September 18, 2022 by jonclark
Spelling

[Geoffggi]

41 minutes ago, jonclark said:

No it's does not have permanent effects.  Stop peddling misinformation. 

 

The degree of impact has to do with the frequency and volume consumed. Just like tobbacco, alcohol, sugar, fat, etc. Consume any of those to a high degree and you will observe a negative impact of sorts.

 

Cannabis is not intrinsically or inherently harmful.  No one has died of a cannabis overdose. But alcohol, tobbacco, sugar ( the surging type 2 diabetes epidemic) and fat (chronic obesity, heart disease, and vascular degeneration) have all been proven without any doubt to kill. Yet we are all happy to take our kids to KFC for a bucket while stocking up on beer and Fanta at the supermarket week in week out.

 

If you smoke a couple of joints a day it will do you less harm probably than walking from Asoke to Emporium and inhaling the fetid and toxic air pollution that Sukhumvit and our car spew out daily. 

 

The nonsense being peddled that cannabis is a gateway drug that will lead to rampant drug use amongst the youth,  creating future drug addicts, health issues the collapse of civilization etc etc is just utter nonsense.

 

It would be more healthy to not smoke. In the same way it would be more healthy to not suffer from air pollution, diabetes, and obesity. But smoking weed is not a threat to your life. Period.

 

Just complete misinformation to even suggest it is. 

 

If people do not wish to smoke cannabis fair enough, but let those who do get on with it. Enough of this fake news.

 

And FYI I do not smoke weed. (And I am not having a pop at you either) 

Excellent article & couldn't agree more ????????????

[arithai12]

1 hour ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Cannabis affects the mind, reducing memory capacity and impairing judgment and logic.  Some of these effects are permanent.

 

Do as you will with giving people the option to choose for themselves, but let's hope no one tries to misrepresent as healthful the smoking of marijuana.

 

The drug's "bad image" is well deserved.

Where is the "sad" icon when we need it.

Are you seriously suggesting that smoking cannabis recreationally gives permanent effects? You mention 2 of them, and then you say "some of these". So which of the two is permanent, reduced memory or impaired logic? With links to demonstrated medical studies please.

[stoner]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

with the current free for all use of the substance, will see even more people jailed as they become addicted to drugs in Thailand.

why  is AN printing this ? this is false and/or fake news. its  well documented now that cannabis is not a gateway drug. 

[stoner]

2 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

The drug's "bad image" is well deserved.

i see you still drunk on reefer madness. 

[sammieuk1]

Anutin has a vested interest in long fags but not electronic ones case closed ????

[2baht]

2 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Cannabis affects the mind, reducing memory capacity and impairing judgment and logic.  Some of these effects are permanent.

 

Hard to believe in this day and age anyone could be this ilinformed!

[2baht]

2 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Cannabis affects the mind

If it does'nt, you've been ripped off! ????

[nobodysfriend]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

this signature policy achievement of Mr Anutin is also now in the crosshairs of not only opposition parties in parliament but also Minister Anutin’s key coalition partner, the Democrat Party,

What became much worse after the legalization ?

Nothing .

People are happy with the way it is now , except , may be some doctors and others who do not profit enough from it .

[bamnutsak]

You might think that with a massive prison population (~ 300,000), with the majority  (~80%, 85% for women) incarcerated for drugs (mostly methamphetamine). And with near daily busts of multiple millions of meth tabs, that "drugs" would be an "issue".

 

This was one of the smaller busts recently (yesterday).  https://thailand.postsen.com/local/51890/More-than-250000-pills-of-methamphetamine-seized-300-grams-of-ice-worth-more-than-30-million-baht.html

 

But no. Cannabis is the scourge. Because?

 

BTW, with Cannabis ( and Kratom) decriminalization some 3,000 - 4,000 prisoners were released. (So 1% of the prisoners were in for cannabis violations.)

 

If you want to challenge the BJT do so on their performance with MoPH and MoT.

 

The activity this article describes is just theatre.

 

The powers that be here do not want to address the real drugs issue.

 

 

 

 

[phetphet]

So is it illegal or not to sell or smoke cannabis? I only ask because everywhere I go, I see shops and stalls openly selling it. And I am not talking oils.

[Geoffggi]

16 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

You might think that with a massive prison population (~ 300,000), with the majority  (~80%, 85% for women) incarcerated for drugs (mostly methamphetamine). And with near daily busts of multiple millions of meth tabs, that "drugs" would be an "issue".

 

This was one of the smaller busts recently (yesterday).  https://thailand.postsen.com/local/51890/More-than-250000-pills-of-methamphetamine-seized-300-grams-of-ice-worth-more-than-30-million-baht.html

 

But no. Cannabis is the scourge. Because?

 

BTW, with Cannabis ( and Kratom) decriminalization some 3,000 - 4,000 prisoners were released. (So 1% of the prisoners were in for cannabis violations.)

 

If you want to challenge the BJT do so on their performance with MoPH and MoT.

 

The activity this article describes is just theatre.

 

The powers that be here do not want to address the real drugs issue.

 

 

 

 

Quite correct, Methamphetamines' are the problem because they do appear to be addictive. plus the main reason they are a problem is they are relatively easy to produce, you don't need a large plot of land or space to manufacture them and they are easy to transport.

[Bday Prang]

29 minutes ago, phetphet said:

So is it illegal or not to sell or smoke cannabis? I only ask because everywhere I go, I see shops and stalls openly selling it. And I am not talking oils.

Where have you been for the past 2 months ?  unbelievable question

[kingstonkid]

3 hours ago, jonclark said:

No it's does not have permanent effects.  Stop peddling misinformation. 

 

The degree of impact has to do with the frequency and volume consumed. Just like tobbacco, alcohol, sugar, fat, etc. Consume any of those to a high degree and you will observe a negative impact of sorts.

 

Cannabis is not intrinsically or inherently harmful.  No one has died of a cannabis overdose. But alcohol, tobbacco, sugar ( the surging type 2 diabetes epidemic) and fat (chronic obesity, heart disease, and vascular degeneration) have all been proven without any doubt to kill. Yet we are all happy to take our kids to KFC for a bucket while stocking up on beer and Fanta at the supermarket week in week out.

 

If you smoke a couple of joints a day it will do you less harm probably than walking from Asoke to Emporium and inhaling the fetid and toxic air pollution that Sukhumvit and our car spew out daily. 

 

The nonsense being peddled that cannabis is a gateway drug that will lead to rampant drug use amongst the youth,  creating future drug addicts, health issues the collapse of civilization etc etc is just utter nonsense.

 

It would be more healthy to not smoke. In the same way it would be more healthy to not suffer from air pollution, diabetes, and obesity. But smoking weed is not a threat to your life. Period.

 

Just complete misinformation to even suggest it is. 

 

If people do not wish to smoke cannabis fair enough, but let those who do get on with it. Enough of this fake news.

 

And FYI I do not smoke weed. (And I am not having a pop at you either) 

You are correct in your facts to a point.

 

The big problem is that just like having a glass of wine, beer or drinks a day will not hurt you

the odd cigar after a meal

Will not hurt you .

 

BUT

We all know that people will go to excess and that is where the trouble lies.

 

I have no issue with cannabis BUT I have an issue with the fact that anyone can sell it buy it or use it even kids.

 

An example is walking around NANA you can buy as much as you want more people are selling it and not really caring who they sell it to 

 

The problem with the legalization is that there are no rules no laws to regulate who and where it can be sold.

 

If you look at any country that has legalized it there are rules that go with it.  

 

Selling it online is no way to sell who knows who is buying it.

Edited September 19, 2022 by kingstonkid

[bobbin]

4 hours ago, smedly said:

fool

 

watch how this evolves and who controls it, all about money

 

it will take a while but at some point someone will realize this was a very stupid thing to do

Was it stupid for Canada as well?

 

How about the many American states that have legalized recreational cannabis?

 

Or Germany, whose coalition government has promised legal recreational cannabis by the end of the year? Luxembourg? Malta? Same.

 

Really... You knee-jerk anti cannabis people need new material. Your views have been overtaken by events.

[jacko45k]

8 hours ago, bobbin said:

Was it stupid for Canada as well?

 

 

Is the jury out yet on that one.....?

Emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to cannabis in Canada are also up eight per cent and five per cent respectively, between 2019 and 2020.

 

The legalization of recreational cannabis, which has resulted in major reductions in social harms such as heavily discriminatory police charges for cannabis offences, has had major public health benefits.

 

We see a lot of shops opening up in Pattaya, which all may be premature. I am too old to be impacted, hopefully. 

[phetphet]

53 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Where have you been for the past 2 months ?  unbelievable question

Then perhaps you should tell the police, because they don't seem to know.

[bobbin]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Is the jury out yet on that one.....?

Emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to cannabis in Canada are also up eight per cent and five per cent respectively, between 2019 and 2020.

 

The legalization of recreational cannabis, which has resulted in major reductions in social harms such as heavily discriminatory police charges for cannabis offences, has had major public health benefits.

 

We see a lot of shops opening up in Pattaya, which all may be premature. I am too old to be impacted, hopefully. 

No, the jury is not out..

 

Canada is a well-educated nation. A member of the G7, the largest economies in the world. A respected international citizen. We made our choice, and the process was well documented...

 

Did you have a little bit of a brain fade when you posted? I ask because you included two statements, one of which can be put down to people who are new to edibles, and the other which directly contradicts the point you were trying to make.

 

The legalization of recreational cannabis, which has resulted in major reductions in social harms such as heavily discriminatory police charges for cannabis offences, has had major public health benefits.

[FritsSikkink]

5 hours ago, smedly said:

fool

 

watch how this evolves and who controls it, all about money

 

it will take a while but at some point someone will realize this was a very stupid thing to do

It would be stupid to criminalize it again.

[FritsSikkink]

5 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Cannabis affects the mind, reducing memory capacity and impairing judgment and logic.  Some of these effects are permanent.

 

Do as you will with giving people the option to choose for themselves, but let's hope no one tries to misrepresent as healthful the smoking of marijuana.

 

The drug's "bad image" is well deserved.

Being used in the Netherlands for 50 years without a problem.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

5 hours ago, smedly said:

fool

 

watch how this evolves and who controls it, all about money

 

it will take a while but at some point someone will realize this was a very stupid thing to do

Agreed.  Anutin must have an enormous vested interest in all this for him to put so much energy and political prestige at stake.  

[Geoffggi]

1 hour ago, kingstonkid said:

You are correct in your facts to a point.

 

The big problem is that just like having a glass of wine, beer or drinks a day will not hurt you

the odd cigar after a meal

Will not hurt you .

 

BUT

We all know that people will go to excess and that is where the trouble lies.

 

I have no issue with cannabis BUT I have an issue with the fact that anyone can sell it buy it or use it even kids.

 

An example is walking around NANA you can buy as much as you want more people are selling it and not really caring who they sell it to 

 

The problem with the legalization is that there are no rules no laws to regulate who and where it can be sold.

 

If you look at any country that has legalized it there are rules that go with it.  

 

Selling it online is no way to sell who knows who is buying it.

So could you please point out the difference between alcohol & cannabis? Alcohol is freely available & everyone knows teens can purchase it easily, add to this the fact that items like white spirits some of which maybe illicit with little or no regulation on sales. I do agree that there does need to be regulations regarding sale to underage children purchasing cannabis the same as cigarettes, & alcohol but as we all know in Thailand these regulations are not always adhered to.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Clash of outlook and culture over Cannabis will now define the Bhumjaithai Party in the months running up to a General Election in Thailand.

Thailand needs a real government with future expansion ideas... not a concrete layer offering cannabis.

[robertson468]

5 hours ago, jonclark said:

No it's does not have permanent effects.  Stop peddling misinformation. 

 

The degree of impact has to do with the frequency and volume consumed. Just like tobbacco, alcohol, sugar, fat, etc. Consume any of those to a high degree and you will observe a negative impact of sorts.

 

Cannabis is not intrinsically or inherently harmful.  No one has died of a cannabis overdose. But alcohol, tobbacco, sugar ( the surging type 2 diabetes epidemic) and fat (chronic obesity, heart disease, and vascular degeneration) have all been proven without any doubt to kill. Yet we are all happy to take our kids to KFC for a bucket while stocking up on beer and Fanta at the supermarket week in week out.

 

If you smoke a couple of joints a day it will do you less harm probably than walking from Asoke to Emporium and inhaling the fetid and toxic air pollution that Sukhumvit and our car spew out daily. 

 

The nonsense being peddled that cannabis is a gateway drug that will lead to rampant drug use amongst the youth,  creating future drug addicts, health issues the collapse of civilization etc etc is just utter nonsense.

 

It would be more healthy to not smoke. In the same way it would be more healthy to not suffer from air pollution, diabetes, and obesity. But smoking weed is not a threat to your life. Period.

 

Just complete misinformation to even suggest it is. 

 

If people do not wish to smoke cannabis fair enough, but let those who do get on with it. Enough of this fake news.

 

And FYI I do not smoke weed. (And I am not having a pop at you either) 

Due to smoking cannabis my Grandson developed bi-polar mental illness, which if he does not take his prescribed medication regularly, comes back to haunt him and he gets sectioned in a hospital.  There are different strengths of cannabis and sadly few people are aware of this and that contrary to what this person has written, it can have a detrimental effect on some people, which can be very long lasting.  Further research needs to be done on this drug before Governments give it the blessing for consumption by everyone.

[Burma Bill]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Clash of outlook and culture over Cannabis will now define the Bhumjaithai Party

Surely this Party will lose its deposit at the next Thai General Election (if such money is deposited as in the UK). I hope so!

[MrJ2U]

Polls for Anutin consistently show that he's near the bottom of the pack.

 

Never mind his promotion of cannabis.

 

His total failure during the pandemic, ineptitude at governance, and blatant racism is a enough to preclude any thoughts of higher office.

 

He'll be a detriment to any party.