Thailand’s experiment with weed goes up in smoke

[NextG]

4 hours ago, JimTripper said:

There is a medical cover for it’s use. People end up believing they are medical users when they actually just like getting high.

 

I know people that claim ailments that probably are not 100% legit like arthritis, headache, etc stuff like that. There’s a list of such ailments. They go into a quack dr and claim they have a headache and here’s your script sir five minutes later. Dr bills insurance company for the sham exam.

 

just in the company of friends they claim ailments now, to appear as genuine medical users because it looks legit or they actually believe it.

 

 

You are simply generalising, from a position of low knowledge. Also quite unpleasant to be ‘judging’ your ‘friends’ in such a manner. 

Do you really know what is going on in the minds of your friends. Has there ever been a case of someone you may have known who seemed fine on the outside, suddenly going down with depression or even ending it all? You have no idea really. You just have an uninformed opinion. 
 

[paddypower]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Do the military have anything to do with me, a farangy..........?   ????

 

Was the present Gov voted in by me.........?    ????

 

Is the present Gov military.........?      ????

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65567781 a reasonable source of info? '

The constitution, written while Thailand was under military rule, created a 250-seat appointed senate, which gets to vote on the choice of the next PM and government.

As the senators were all appointed by the coup leaders they have always voted in favour of the current, military-aligned government, and never in favour of the opposition.

So technically any party without the senate's backing would need a super-majority of 376 out of the 500 seats, an unobtainable target.'

 

[transam]

32 minutes ago, SmokeandIce said:

And yet, no calls to ban alcohol

Did Jesus Christ drink wine, did the Queen of England drink wine.....?

Well of course they did, but they were not p_ss heads, they did not need a daily fix which puff seems to be.................????

[bamnutsak]

I cleaned this up, I think it is acceptable now…

 

Cannabis is not a top ten political issue for Thais. No one is “voting on cannabis”, unless they are truly on cannabis when voting. Stop trying to make this a thing. It’s not even a top 20 issue.

 

It is legal to grow/produce, distribute/sell, consume cannabis flower. You can smoke in public, but not if it causes a nuisance.

 

Individual MP members of PTP, MVF, PPP petitioned the Administrative Court to re-list Cannabis as a narcotic in Nov. 2022.

 

MVF as a party, petitioned the Ombudsman asking them to petition the Administrative Court to re-list Cannabis as a narcotic, also in Nov. 2022.

 

Cannabis is regulated, and some articles fail on this point, using scare tactics to infer that the entire industry is some sort of version of Prohibition era Chicago. There are regulations on production, distribution and consumption. Could there be more regulations? Yes, of course. Get Parliament in session and revive the Cannabis Control Act.

 

The Police could canvass every shop in a single morning, to verify licensing, record-keeping, revenue and tax history.

 

Close to a million (980,000 per Thaiger) Thais have registered to grow cannabis, most are or plan to be small operations, for personal use. Were Cannabis to be re-criminalized this segment would need guidance, help transitioning.

 

The next steps are to arrange a government, convene a session of Parliament, and pass the CCA. A first draft/reading passed with ease, then everything went off the rails, because of huge alterations and the clock running out.

 

There are bigger issues/problems for Thailand. But most of those are difficult to acknowledge let alone address. So, as is human nature, we focus on the minor, inconsequential issues because? Maybe they are easy black/white issues?

 

Regarding the number of physical shops selling cannabis, it should be noted that On-Line Sales and Advertising were banned/restricted on/about 11 November 2022”

 

The minister of the MOPH has announced that the MOPH announcement of June 17, 2022, will be repealed and replaced by the November 11, 2022, Announcement Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis). Unlike the prior announcement, the new announcement states that only the inflorescence of marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is a controlled herb. This means any dispensaries that sell such inflorescence must obtain a license from the MOPH first. Dispensaries that sell other parts of the marijuana plant (but not inflorescence) or hemp will not need a license. Similar to the prior announcement, it is prohibited to sell marijuana inflorescence to any person under the age of twenty, or to a pregnant or breastfeeding women. In addition, the new announcement also disallows the following:

 

Selling marijuana inflorescence for smoking at a dispensary shop;

Selling marijuana inflorescence through a vending machine, electronic channel, or computer network;

Advertising marijuana inflorescence through any channel.

 

https://conventuslaw.com/report/cannabis-dispensaries-and-e-commerce-in-thailand-will-there-be-another-surprise/

 

*inflorescence means cannabis flower.

 

This may have been rescinded or changed in the interim, but any limitation for on-line sales means that the only retail source would be a shop. Will all that have opened be needed? No, of course not, but some will be.

 

Obviously, many many many shops and groups/individuals are advertising and selling on line, so either this restriction is not being enforced, or it is no longer in effect.

 

My current read

 

re-listing as a narcotic as soon as a new MoPH Minister is appointed: 10%

 

some new, minor regulations pending the CCA and the formation of the Cannabis Control Board: 50%

 

No changes until the CCA is gazetted: 40%

 

The CCA could contain many new restrictions including medical only (supervised by DTAM). Impossible to predict at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2023 by bamnutsak

[Liverpool Lou]

On 5/12/2023 at 6:42 PM, Denim said:

Yes. There is a ban on sales during election. Big problem for tourists.

What's the "problem" for tourists, 24 hours without buying alcohol, at least eight of which they'd probably be sleeping, so one evening of sobriety?   

[Jingthing]

It's not a narcotic. Period.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 5/12/2023 at 7:06 PM, torturedsole said:

How could you possibly know the benefit to the economy? Serious question.

He did not say that he knew, he said "I don't think...", which is an opinion that he is entitled to express on  a forum. 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 5/12/2023 at 7:12 PM, redwood1 said:

There are 4358 weed shops  https://weed.th/  in Thailand... I bet more like 6000-7000.....Plus loads of growers and online sellers...

 

There are rental contracts, emplyees, taxes, loans, suppliers to be paid etc etc etc....

 

Point is HUGE  numbers of people have invested every thing they have into this..

No, the point is that they invested voluntarily with no promises of returns.  Capitalism involves risk.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 5/12/2023 at 7:12 PM, redwood1 said:

But any shutdown faster than this is not possible without paying out $$$$$$ in compensation....

Rationally, who do you think should be responsible for paying compensation to those who voluntarily decided to set up their own businesses (dodgy, in most cases as they do not sell only for medical reasons)?    Presumably, you mean the government, does the government pay compensation to other entrepreneurs whose bars, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. failed?

[Liverpool Lou]

On 5/12/2023 at 7:22 PM, torturedsole said:

weed has been available in LoS for decades but we can now smoke it freely.

"...we can now smoke it freely".

Er, not officially anywhere, you can't.

[JimTripper]

On 5/12/2023 at 5:44 PM, Mitkof Island said:

And what happens to all the Thais that spent money creating shops etc?

When there is a run on anything most people lose. Happens all the time with fads, tulip mania, etc. people chase it up expecting to get rich, get loans and expand too quickly, which leads many to financial ruin.

[torturedsole]

8 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"...we can now smoke it freely".

Er, not officially anywhere, you can't.

On 5/7/2023 at 2:15 PM, torturedsole said:

The way I see it, the majority of Thais don't give a rat's <deleted> what you're smoking or where you smoke it and you'll only feel heat if you're caught red-handed by the BiB.

 

I smoked a joint last week at the DMK Terminal 2 smoking area and didn't attract any attention, whatsoever.  Obviously, I didn't pull out a 12" reefer and wave it about (it was only slightly longer than a cigarette) but there's obviously no hiding the smell and plenty of airport workers were there as well.  All was fine.  

 

What I personally wouldn't do, for example, is smoke weed walking along Sukhumvit and if I did need a smoke, then I'd find somewhere to stand away from the pavement and where there's little chance of the BiB jumping out from behind a lamppost. ????

I know, but doesn't stop me trying. ????

[paddypower]

On 5/13/2023 at 11:08 AM, BritManToo said:

My sole purpose for smoking weed is to get rid of my arthritis (finger joints).

Not only does it eliminate the 24/7 joint pain, but the swelling has also gone.

Now my hands can open jars and bottles again, grip fully restored.

 

Nothing will stop me smoking now.

It's given me a new lease on life.

And I no longer need to take 8x paracetamol a day for partial pain relief.

give that Brit 5 stars... good on you. wife is in agony with fingers all swelling up painful every day,cannot do gardening which she loves, why do people want to screw up the rights of people who want to self medicate? was it a bad childhood. experience?

[watchcat]

18 hours ago, transam said:

Plus, puff stays in your system waaay longer than the effects of beer

No it doesn't. It's detectable but you are not intoxicated.

[Pink Mist]

Off-topic posts have been removed.  This OP is not about alcohol, the Queen of England, nor about tourists buying alcohol it is about:

 

Thailand’s experiment with weed goes up in smoke

[d4dang]

6 hours ago, SenorTashi said:

And they're wrong about that too. There are many different cannabinoids and they work together in harmony. If you isolate THC without CBD for example, things get a bit out of balance.

I have some good friends in the UK who've been very involved with this whole subject for decades. Which is the only reason I know so much about it. Every human has cannabinoid receptors in their brain. They only react to cannabis so why would they be there if we're not not meant to ingest the plant? If you believe in God, you should accept that he put all the plants here for us to eat.

 

One of my friends eats only the leaves and seeds of cannabis plants for months at a time because he claims it's the ideal food for our health.

Here's the link for anyone who's interested.  http://freecannabis.net/cannabis-compendium/cannabis-a-dietary-essential/

 

And the rest of his story, in which he befriends Howard Marks http://freecannabis.net/contact-free/the-chronicles-of-cannabis/

Thanks...also Compassion Clubs of Canada

[d4dang]

1 hour ago, JimTripper said:

When there is a run on anything most people lose. Happens all the time with fads, tulip mania, etc. people chase it up expecting to get rich, get loans and expand too quickly, which leads many to financial ruin.

laundry mats seem to be the latest fad

[d4dang]

seen a lot of Thais die from lao kaow/ satoo....legal or illegal....I guess i missed  the ones who smoked weed until it killed them

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, d4dang said:

laundry mats seem to be the latest fad

What with "WELCOME' in big letters on them?

[watchcat]

1 hour ago, paddypower said:

wife is in agony with fingers all swelling up painful every day,cannot do gardening which she loves, why do people want to screw up the rights of people who want to self medicate? was it a bad childhood. experience?

Maybe they bought stocks in the healthcare industry?

[Airalee]

5 hours ago, youngexpat said:

I went to choate rosemary hall for highschool.

 

so did John f kennedy and ivanka trump.

 

I have personally gotten high with the heirs of SC johnson, walmart, dupont, anheiser busch, the pritskers, kuwaiti princes the list goes on and on.

 

higher class people indulge recreationally

 

if you think that it is confined to rockstars, who ironically i personally wouldn't consider higher class, you are just dead wrong.

I remember Choate.  Our headmaster had to call a special meeting before “Choate Day” in order to plead with the students to not cheer “Choate Does Coke!” at the sporting events.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/05/nyregion/14-choate-students-expelled-in-inquiry-into-cocaine-arrest.html

 

Those were some wild times ????

[Jingthing]

Remember fish massage shops everywhere?

[fusion58]

On 5/12/2023 at 5:49 PM, scottiejohn said:

They/it will go up in smoke!

 

[stoutfella]

On 5/12/2023 at 5:53 PM, Crossy said:

 

I made the mistake of trying to get a coffee in a Rotterdam "coffee shop" (I was young and naive).

 

I did actually get a coffee, and an education

Mine was in Den Haag.

[torturedsole]

2 minutes ago, stoutfella said:

Mine was in Den Haag.

My wife and I spent three days in Den Haag (aka The Hague) late last year and really enjoyed our stay.

 

The beach and promenade are equally impressive. We'll definitely return. 

[sungod]

4 hours ago, watchcat said:

No it doesn't. It's detectable but you are not intoxicated.

I've tried, he just doesn't get it.

 

Ignorance must be bliss......

[Thingamabob]

It is not clear what the future of cannabis use will be in Thailand following today's election. The fact is that weed is easily available in several  ASEAN countries, whether decriminalised or not. 

Edited May 14, 2023 by Thingamabob
Spelling error.

[billd766]

6 hours ago, paddypower said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65567781 a reasonable source of info? '

The constitution, written while Thailand was under military rule, created a 250-seat appointed senate, which gets to vote on the choice of the next PM and government.

As the senators were all appointed by the coup leaders they have always voted in favour of the current, military-aligned government, and never in favour of the opposition.

So technically any party without the senate's backing would need a super-majority of 376 out of the 500 seats, an unobtainable target.'

 

Legally, without any fiddle factors, IMHO it will be extremely difficult though not impossible depending on PTP coalition partners and their numbers.

 

OTOH after the EC, CC, alphabet soup organisations, police, army civil service and the rabid royalist yellow shirts have stuck their oar in, I believe that it will be impossible, unles the Thai voters refuse to accept those results.

[Bday Prang]

5 hours ago, watchcat said:

No it doesn't. It's detectable but you are not intoxicated.

          The "pi$$ in a cup urine test is basically a "scam" for want of a better word, It does not  detect THC it is not even claimed to detect THC by the manufacturers and as such is not in anyway suitable,and cannot be used as test for alleged  intoxication

           Anybody claiming otherwise is either misinformed or deliberately lying. (That is a fact!  So to any of the usual suspects who are about to  begin their frantic search for contradictory  " peer reviewed" links, Don't bother wasting your time)

           The test actually detects "metabolites" of THC   I'm not a chemist  but I know a guy who is, and he said one way to describe a metabolite when using the word in this context is to think of it as the "leftovers" that remain after the body has absorbed and processed  the THC   This process takes a lot longer than it takes any "intoxicating" effects to naturally wear off !  The THC has long gone before the metabolites can be detected in urine

           The Metabolites  have absolutely zero psychoactive properties, they are totally inert . 

           However for some bizarre unexplainable reason a great deal of money has been spent developing the test and as a result it can be extremely sensitive 

           The standard tests will detect a level of either 20 or 50 nanograms of the metabolites depending on which one is used but I saw a promotional video from a company that sells them and the guy in the white coat was beside himself gushing that it is now possible to detect as low as 5 nanograms  What is the point in that ?

            The level of detection for the standard test is not based on any "legal limit"  or even a fictional  "perceived" level of intoxication (as that is not what the test is designed  for nor can it be used as such} Its just that if it was set any lower nearly everybody would test positive!  due to the prescience of  microscopic particles of THC  in the atmosphere which could have been ingested

            The test is used predominantly  by  HR departments when "vetting" job applicants and is  nothing more than a lifestyle check, and an intrusion into peoples private lives, What one was doing possibly up to 90 days ago is no business of any prospective employer or anybody else for that matter

           The other way that this test is "abused" is random health and safety testing where it is equally  inappropriate for the reasons outlined above 

[Bday Prang]

8 hours ago, billd766 said:

Do you have any idea where I can order it please? I live in rural Kamphaeng Phet.

It might be worth a trip to the local  government hospital, the one  here in surin is an official outlet and it is even  available at the smaller hospital in the local amphur where they have constructed a a new building for the purpose complete with a large cannabis leaf fashioned in the architecture