The bad actors in Thailand’s cannabis industry

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, bamnutsak said:

Well it is illegal to EXPORT cannabis from any State in the U.S., and from Canada.

 

And it is illegal to IMPORT cannabis into Thailand. (yes, there is a loophole for "scientific research")

 

So there's that.

 

 

The import thing was a result of needing inventory to sell in the months immediately after legalization. It was a blip. And while there may always be imports, domestic production will probably get 75 - 80% of the market (in weight).

 

 

The point was not the law but the mindset.. 

Its never build a better mousetrap, its always block the competition.. Not only this but in everything from public transport to the domestic vehicle industry.. 

[Goat]

1 hour ago, RandolphGB said:

As for her xenophobia, she's not unlike 99% of the country.

 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Why demonize foreign shop owners?

 

26 minutes ago, Wuvu2 said:

MG another ridiculous posts bashing foreigners over the Thai governments ineptitude

 

1 hour ago, RandolphGB said:

As for her xenophobia, she's not unlike 99% of the country.

The white priveledge on this forum claim to be anti woke advocates.

But cry when they percieve themselves to be victims.

Thailand doesnt do woke or PC. 

 

Bong on Kitty bong on.

Thailand is for Thais, and so it should be, farangs are welcome as long as we dont mess with them.

 

 

 

[aussienam]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Why demonize foreign shop owners?

I understand promoting local production though.

Aren't most Thai shop owners simply profit seeking opportunists the same as the foreign?

Your POV comes off as toxic hyper nationalism, kind of like if xenophobic  Trump was Thai. 

Foreigners here have made Thailand their new home. Where is the respect for fellow human beings?

"Call out to all those foreign owned cannabis stores who didn't contribution to the fight, and are just free-loading on the backs of those who are, those who are bad actors importing in illegal cannabis, buy and sell illegal imports."

 

From her words, she has addressed the alleged illegal importation of foreign sourced cannabis strains. 

 

This would be facilitated by organised criminal gangs and individual criminals.  There are plenty of illegally grown cannabis crops around the world whereby organised syndicates are chafing at the bit to get into the Thai market (if they haven't already - I even overheard an Aussie tourist recently talking of exporting to Thailand from his clandestine cannabis crop in regional NSW). 

 

If foreigners who own cannabis shops are selling illegally imported strains, then it's a valid point.  Foreigners are not citizens of Thailand and don't have an instant right to stay and run a business, particularly if breaking the law.  Of course this would be frowned on and seen as a slap in the face of Thai people, by foreigners disrespecting their laws when only visitors of their country. Remember we are only ever deemed as visitors (except for the very rare few who are granted citizenship).

 

Are Thai owned shops doing the same? For sure.  Both are profiteering off illegal imports.  Nothing new there. But it is a point that the whole idea with the new Thai cannabis decriminalization, was to help provide new ways for Thai farmers to get involved and make money from locally grown produce. 

 

Illegal imports is shutting down a lot of that opportunity. Just like so many other produce made in Thailand, they have bans or significant tarrifs to help support that which is domestically grown.  

 

Is she xenophobic?  I don't feel she is. She's obviously frustrated at the uneven playing field and those who she believes don't care and just come to Thailand to profiteer without respecting laws.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LivinLOS]

6 minutes ago, Goat said:

farangs are welcome as long as we dont mess with them.

Or out compete them... 

[SeaBee]

1 hour ago, SamuiGrower said:

This is also NOT true. I have seen valid import licenses. Many. Yes, it is illegal export it out of the US and Canada. Trust me, that in and of itself will allow the US DEA to pressure And influence Thai legislation in the coming round of regulations, that you all know is coming.

Could you post a - names blurred - photo of any such valid import license?

[RandolphGB]

9 minutes ago, Goat said:

 

 

 

The white priveledge on this forum claim to be anti woke advocates.

But cry when they percieve themselves to be victims.

Thailand doesnt do woke or PC. 

 

Bong on Kitty bong on.

Thailand is for Thais, and so it should be, farangs are welcome as long as we dont mess with them.

 

 

 

Alright, calm down, she's not gonna marry you.   

 

[LikeItHot]

I know a Canadian looser with a Thai baby mama. He was living on Daddy's bankroll for years until the Ganja Gods smiled upon him.  He suddenly became the biggest supplier in my area and claims "I supply all the smaller shops and I only import my product because Thai weed is @#$@.". What's your plan to deal with him?

[Goat]

2 minutes ago, RandolphGB said:

Alright, calm down, she's not gonna marry you.   

 

Did you read the OP. Clearly says she is happily married with children.

[Goat]

8 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Or out compete them... 

Whats your point?

[RayOday]

Another self righteous bawler with xenophobic undertones,  trying to create barriers to competition with divisive language. How many people were released from excessive prison sentences to  e productive while reducing state holding and other numerous costs. The issue, as usual, is unclear legal statutes and zero  effective enforcement. Sales should be taxed and the proceeds should be directed to a just cause with a absolute transparency and subject, at any time, to external audit. Some countries have done directed taxation proceeds to education. One related example ex. Thailand is the lottery which isn't exactly a tax yet the full proceeds go to funding university scholarships to any high school student who maintains a 3.5 average or higher. Such schemes enable generational shifts. Some may call it regressive since treating the lottery as a pure tax is taxing the mathematically impaired. My point is take the muck that has been created and turn it into a positive. When it comes to Kitty do as I have done when encountering a self righteous vendor who cannot differentiate their value, boycott their goods. There are plenty of great competitors that don't treat you as a lowly foreigner. No one pisses on me from high above. Why not work on making the laws and taxes equitable and having the funds raise the level of education, health care, or other important social causes. Such actions will multiply the cost savings benefits that are being realized by a lower incarcerated population. Leverage and regulate, don't discriminate. 

[Jingthing]

23 minutes ago, Goat said:

 

 

 

The white priveledge on this forum claim to be anti woke advocates.

But cry when they percieve themselves to be victims.

Thailand doesnt do woke or PC. 

 

Bong on Kitty bong on.

Thailand is for Thais, and so it should be, farangs are welcome as long as we dont mess with them.

 

 

 

White privilege?

Anti woke activists?

Are you having a laugh?

[SeaBee]

1 hour ago, Jack Cook said:

Well in response to this greedy fame seeking woman. I am married to a Thai lady and live in Thailand.

I saw the opportunity and have thus far invested almost 2 million dollars of my overseas money in legal fees and building a large commercial farm. 
The people who have benefitted from the investment money are. The Thai Government. Thai lawyers, local contractors, concrete suppliers and a myriad of others (all Thai). And also good paying jobs for locals.

This woman is essentially just talking attention seeking drivel because there are many better (legitimate and cheaper) shops than hers on Sukhumvit now, and the illegal imported stuff has dwindled to almost nil.
Maybe she should focus on better marketing and fairer prices than her greed inspired anti Farang fear mongering BS

 

She's not talking about people/companies like you organizing and investing in local production, quite the opposite. She's going after illegal imports (incidentally, mostly low quality PGR sold here as top shelf with huge profit for illegal importer), and rightly so. From what I see in the shops it must be close to 80% of the current supply.

Edited May 2, 2023 by SeaBee

[Gecko123]

Not feeling your pain, Kitty. To tell the truth, kind of enjoying it.

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Gecko123

[Jonathan Swift]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Why demonize foreign shop owners?

I understand promoting local production though.

Aren't most Thai shop owners simply profit seeking opportunists the same as the foreign?

Your POV comes off as toxic hyper nationalism, kind of like if xenophobic  Trump was Thai. 

Foreigners here have made Thailand their new home. Where is the respect for fellow human beings?

She sounds like she knows what she's talking about. Do you? For you to compare anyone at all to Trump shows your viewpoint to be grotesquely warped. 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Jonathan Swift

[Jonathan Swift]

God bless her heart for her dedication and activism, on top of being a wife and mother. 

[janetdoe]

Goodbye Kitty…

[KhaoYai]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Why demonize foreign shop owners?

Because its the way.  Whenever possible, the norm in Thailand is to pass the problem off as caused by foreigners.  Its OK to promote Thailand as a cannabis tourist destinantion because that's seen as a positive but I believe that increasingly, we will see foreigners blamed for any negative aspects of the business.

 

Hasn't this always been the way in Thailand? Blame the foreigners?  Take for example murders, I'm sure there are plenty of murders every day in Thailand but which receive the most attention?  If a foreigner commits a murder, it seems to me that they receive by far the greatest coverage.  Then there's the culture of blaming foreigners, not necessarily Westerners, for serious crimes - sometimes with no or scant evidence, as we have have seen in recent years.

 

As its election time, I think blaming foreign interests for the situation with cannabis will become even more common place.

 

Madam Kitty's argument seems to be blaming foreign strains of cannabis for breaking the .2% limit.  I don't know of any cannabis plant that produces .2% THC - even the leaves contain way more than that in most plants.  Native strains?  I personally know of one large farm that produces weed that has a THC content of over 20%. I don't know the origin of the strain grown but that is not important to the owners - what they want is as strong a product as possible because that's what sells. Interestingly, that farm has been around since way before the recent changes in the law and is well known locally - its not easy to keep a farm of that size secret. The ownership of that farm is even more interesting - definitely Thai ownership but let's just say its not owned by ordinary Thai citizens.

[Guitar God]

2 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Her view seems to be that Thais legally dealing cannabis is OK. But foreigners doing the same thing is bad.

 

All that education and appearances in so 'many news media' and she's still a pretentious xenophobic simpleton.

That’s not at all what she said. She’s opposed to illegal foreign imports flooding the market and harming legal Thai cannabis businesses. 
 

If you’re going to attack what she says, attack what she actually said instead of making something up and then criticizing your own invention. 

[Guitar God]

4 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Because its the way.  Whenever possible, the norm in Thailand is to pass the problem off as caused by foreigners.  Its OK to promote Thailand as a cannabis tourist destinantion because that's seen as a positive but I believe that increasingly, we will see foreigners blamed for any negative aspects of the business.

 

Hasn't this always been the way in Thailand? Blame the foreigners?  Take for example murders, I'm sure there are plenty of murders every day in Thailand but which receive the most attention?  If a foreigner commits a murder, it seems to me that they receive by far the greatest coverage.  Then there's the culture of blaming foreigners, not necessarily Westerners, for serious crimes - sometimes with no or scant evidence, as we have have seen in recent years.

 

As its election time, I think blaming foreign interests for the situation with cannabis will become even more common place.

 

Madam Kitty's argument seems to be blaming foreign strains of cannabis for breaking the .2% limit.  I don't know of any cannabis plant that produces .2% THC - even the leaves contain way more than that in most plants.  Native strains?  I personally know of one large farm that produces weed that has a THC content of over 20%. I don't know the origin of the strain grown but that is not important to the owners - what they want is as strong a product as possible because that's what sells. Interestingly, that farm has been around since way before the recent changes in the law and is well known locally - its not easy to keep a farm of that size secret. The ownership of that farm is even more interesting - definitely Thai ownership but let's just say its not owned by ordinary Thai citizens.

She’s not demonizing foreign shop owners. If you read her article she’s opposed to illegal foreign imports ruining the market for legal shop owners and growers. 

[Bday Prang]

            Nothing wrong with her English abilities, There are few, if any,  on here who could translate her OP into Thai, although if her canadian husband actually proofread it , I can only assume he's a french speaker.

            Thailand is by nature a pretty inward looking country, and I kind of get that,   they do need some protection from foreign "big business" moving in and controlling things,   The more "liberal minded" amongst us, are , in my opinion, a little too quick to hurl words like "Xenophobic" and "Racist" into discussions of this nature' when perhaps "Patriotic" or "Protectionist"  or even just "selfish" if you must, would suffice.

              I'm generally  quite happy with the "Thailand is for the Thais" line of thought, and to be honest I'm also more than a little bit jealous of the sense of  national Identity that they all share!  Something that my home country  (the UK) and many western countries,   lost a long time ago,  To  the extent that many of our population and many politicians seem to actually hate our culture, and seek to destroy it !  The end result ? Well, open displays of patriotism are generally frowned upon, Aspects of Christianity are "problematic"    The destruction of  historical statues goes virtually unpunished, Even talk of changing the words of the National anthem, for fear of "offending" foreigners , to quote just a few examples .and bizarrely all instigated by UK nationals !   Is it any wonder that many choose to live here

             She is at least on the right side of the fence when it comes to keeping weed off the narcotics list, and if she is seeking a bit of a name for herself then why not ?  It's no different than Chuwit looking for a bit of fame by ostensibly joining  the opposing camp  very recently

[Bday Prang]

19 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

God bless her heart for her dedication and activism, on top of being a wife and mother. 

Indeed,  Fair play to her as we say , she would get my vote

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, marcusb said:

Geez Britman, make up your mind. On the cannabis forum you been preaching for months how brick weed is just as good or better than exotic.  You quite proudly stated you smoke the cheapest bud that gets you high.    

Actually you posted a few times with your opinion totally contradicting what you typed here today. 

 

I dont care what you think, but pick a side of the fence man. 

I think you've confused me with someone else. I normally only smoke my own grow, currently tropical punch and bubblegummer. 

[KhaoYai]

2 minutes ago, Guitar God said:

She’s not demonizing foreign shop owners. If you read her article she’s opposed to illegal foreign imports ruining the market for legal shop owners and growers. 

I suspect that the proportion of foreign imports is low, taken as a whole. There are a lot of Thai farms producing weed and if and when they ever get this confusing and ridiculous law sorted out, you will see the big boys moving in.

 

I believe that her sentiment in general is trying to blame foreigners for the negatives whilst promoting the benefits to Thailand from home grown weed. Watch this space, you will see more of this.  I would not be surprised at all if the next kid that's found on the street 'off his head' will have consumed some nasty foreign brand.  Now she's started this, it will become popular as other 'influencers' will be able to promote their anti cannabis stance as being anti foreign cannabis.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, LikeItHot said:

I know a Canadian looser with a Thai baby mama. He was living on Daddy's bankroll for years until the Ganja Gods smiled upon him.  He suddenly became the biggest supplier in my area and claims "I supply all the smaller shops and I only import my product because Thai weed is @#$@.". What's your plan to deal with him?

I sort of agree with him. 

[BritManToo]

15 minutes ago, Guitar God said:

That’s not at all what she said. She’s opposed to illegal foreign imports flooding the market and harming legal Thai cannabis businesses. 

Hard to see how foreign grows paying staff $20/hour can compete with Thai grows paying staff 300bht/day.

[Jingthing]

36 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

She sounds like she knows what she's talking about. Do you? For you to compare anyone at all to Trump shows your viewpoint to be grotesquely warped. 

Toxic hyper nationalism well represented by Trump occurs in many nations 

[Drumbuie]

Goodness me. I suppose, having strolled through these forums for the last six months I should have not have expected the majority of comments on this to be anything other than an outpouring of misogyny and racism, but even so I am a tad surprised. 

 

Stop for one moment and pretend the writer was male; would you see this as narcissistic? Then imagine you're in your home country, the writer is a fellow citizen, and foreigners are muscling in on one of your home country's nascent industries and putting locals out if business. How would you feel then? 

[thailand49]

All I got from her and her view is she is a educated Thai,  lots of big words thrown her way I put my opinion simply under 

" The more patriotic the more stupid " I can also put her under 

" you can take the Thai out of Thailand but can't take the Thai out of her " 

To clarify my statement her attitude her statement should be no surprise to anyone this is exactly how their leaders think of us. Their supreme courts ruling that it is OK to charge foreigners more for medical treatment not based on their own laws but justifying it because in general we are better off. Her position " This is Thailand " for Thai only why because they know they can't compete in the free market that is how it sounds to me? 

I don't touch the stuff I don't need to smoke, shoot up or have a  drink in my hand all the time to socialize with people then take to the wheel to hurt or kill someone. I've lived here for over 15 years to me there is an epidemic of drinking here now throw in the weed. 

This started for one reason $$$$$ it was never about medical one has to be pretty stupid to believe why? no way could so many people have medical condition it is like everyone having a handicap parking sticker. I once had a broken leg went to the ball game the best spots were the handicap yet all the vehicles parked were trailers owner BBQ throwing Football.

Weed in Thailand leaders here is all about the Teflon baht they can't even fill a pothole their leadership is truly one that can't run anything. The fact she complain show how unprepared no plan that it is out of control. In Pattaya within months they are everywhere being solded next Casino and their will be someone like her complaining it is only for Thais to open.  Another example is former MP who snitch on the Chinese Triad grey businesses even corruption is exclusive to Thai.  

The world turns around Thailand 

LOL! 

Close it all down that is the best solution.  

Edited May 2, 2023 by thailand49

[SeaBee]

16 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Hard to see how foreign grows paying staff $20/hour can compete with Thai grows paying staff 300bht/day.

Eventually, indeed, but for now big California growers benefit from scale economy, experience and better climate. Thai production is not stabilized yet, far from it, and farms are failing some harvests (which is expensive). Even for California experienced growers it takes several harvests to get the production right in any new operation, plus tropical climate creates some serious challenges many have yet to overcome.

Edited May 2, 2023 by SeaBee

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, Drumbuie said:

Goodness me. I suppose, having strolled through these forums for the last six months I should have not have expected the majority of comments on this to be anything other than an outpouring of misogyny and racism, but even so I am a tad surprised. 

 

Stop for one moment and pretend the writer was male; would you see this as narcissistic? Then imagine you're in your home country, the writer is a fellow citizen, and foreigners are muscling in on one of your home country's nascent industries and putting locals out if business. How would you feel then? 

That the more free market competition  the better it is long term for consumers.