Thailand Wrestles with the Ripple Effects of Cannabis Decriminalisation

[webfact]

 

As the fragrant tendrils of cannabis intertwine with the spicy scents of Thailand’s famed street markets, the nation finds itself entwined in a knotty debate over the recent decriminalisation of the much-maligned plant.

Only a year since the momentous shift in drug policy, the lush landscapes of Thailand have seen a ‘green rush’ of cannabis dispensaries emerging like mushrooms in the monsoon season, their roots entwining with the local economies of cities and townships throughout the kingdom. The landscape is transformed, with farmers pivoting from traditional crops to cultivating cannabis and entrepreneurs like Wassaya Iemvijan and Nitikrist Attakrist, former lawyers turned cannabis dispensary owners, navigating the turbid waters of a nascent industry.

But a change of tide is perceptible. With a conservative coalition government recently swept into power, the leafy future of the cannabis industry in Thailand faces potential withering. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s intent to “rectify” the legislation looms large over small businesses and agricultural communities that have nestled into the warm embrace of the cannabis trade.

 

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin

Decriminalisation was met with a bouquet of opportunities for many. Farmers, formerly tethered to the economic whims of traditional cash crops like rice, found new vitality in the cannabis industry. The growth extended beyond the field, enveloping small businesses, providing financial security to families, and enabling enhanced educational prospects for children.

In an intricate dance, cannabis became both a burgeoning business and a lifeline for Thai locals.

 

Yet, juxtaposed against these tales of prosperity and empowerment is a government fraught with concerns about widespread drug issues, particularly in the northeastern and northern locales of Thailand. In an attempt to stem a perceived tide of recreational use, the government contemplates restricting cannabis utilisation solely for medical applications.

 

By Adam Judd

 

Full story: THE PATTAYA NEWS  2023-10-03

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[nglodnig]

It is ILLEGAL for under eighteenyear olds to buy alcohol and tobacco. Why is it so difficult to enforce this law for cannabis so adults can make their own mind up?

[bbbbooboo]

Some people enjoy cannabis, some dont. Its that simple

[madisongy]

If they declare it illegal again, will dispensaries will have fire sales to dump inventory and prices plummet, or would prices surge as consumers stock up?  

[RichardColeman]

10 minutes ago, bbbbooboo said:

Some people enjoy cannabis, some dont. Its that simple

Yes, and no. I really do not give a hoot if you want to use it, I do not use it myself. My issue is the smell, after two years stuck in Blackpool UK, I felt sick most if the time as the populace stunk of it. So, If you want to do it up a mountain or 100 mt downwind of me then go ahead, its your lungs.

[Robert Tyrrell]

Good Morning ???? 

 

Its absolutely hilarious how they whine about cannabis, Yet alcohol is legal in Thailand ???????? Having one of the highest death rates with driving drunk and highest overall road deaths in total, Underage Thai children in villages are sent to stores to buy there parents beer, Seen MANY TIMES !!
Not to mention them getting in there cars and driving drunk to go out and kill people and themselves most times ,RIDICULOUS THOUGHT PROCESS AND COMMON SENSE IS EXTREMELY QUESTIONABLE HERE IN THAILAND ???????? ???? 

[Pique Dard]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

In an attempt to stem a perceived tide of recreational use, the government contemplates restricting cannabis utilisation solely for medical applications.

good luck!

[Colabamumbai]

The best written article in a long time. 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Farmers, formerly tethered to the economic whims of traditional cash crops like rice, found new vitality in the cannabis industry. The growth extended beyond the field, enveloping small businesses, providing financial security to families, and enabling enhanced educational prospects for children.

A rather heavy coating of sugar, one could say.... 

[daveAustin]

Reefer madness

[Dickie Dee]

1 hour ago, bbbbooboo said:

Some people enjoy cannabis, some dont. Its that simple

Cannabis is a medicinal plant and so much more.  Fields of male HEMP plants make safe and sustainable healthy products such as clothes, ropes and even construction material. The ancient plant has  calm nerves in older people since the 1700’s. The problem is tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, vaping products that are not safe. 

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, Robert Tyrrell said:

Good Morning ???? 

 

Its absolutely hilarious how they whine about cannabis, Yet alcohol is legal in Thailand ???????? Having one of the highest death rates with driving drunk and highest overall road deaths in total, Underage Thai children in villages are sent to stores to buy there parents beer, Seen MANY TIMES !!
Not to mention them getting in there cars and driving drunk to go out and kill people and themselves most times ,RIDICULOUS THOUGHT PROCESS AND COMMON SENSE IS EXTREMELY QUESTIONABLE HERE IN THAILAND ???????? ???? 

Nevertheless, topic is actually about cannabis......

[mizzi39]

Cannabis in Thailand is NOT going anywhere. Even if Thailand put cannabis back on the narcotics list  and legalized it for medical use only,  there are so many good strains floating around the kingdom now. The black market will flourish (which is obviously counter productive given the fact that it's a cash crop that should benefit the economy).

 

No matter what happens in the near future, gone are the days of only scoring (mostly)  s**t brick weed, so that's a positive.  

 

Wake up Thailand! Look at the handful of countries where cannabis is legal. Try to integrate some of the laws and policies set up to control and regulate the legal market.  

 

On another note, can't these news sites find a better stock photo?

[buriram39]

What government 'swept into power'. A bit of reporting license here I think.

[AhFarangJa]

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Yes, and no. I really do not give a hoot if you want to use it, I do not use it myself. My issue is the smell, after two years stuck in Blackpool UK, I felt sick most if the time as the populace stunk of it. So, If you want to do it up a mountain or 100 mt downwind of me then go ahead, its your lungs.

Off topic, I know, but it has to be said.....In Blackpool for two years, Sir, you have my heartfelt commiserations, and my admiration for sticking it out.

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

Off topic, I know, but it has to be said.....In Blackpool for two years, Sir, you have my heartfelt commiserations, and my admiration for sticking it out.

I am inclined to say that the negative effects of cannabis truly should be taken seriously, if they make living in Blackpool desirable!

[AhFarangJa]

1 minute ago, jacko45k said:

I am inclined to say that the negative effects of cannabis truly should be taken seriously, if they make living in Blackpool desirable!

LOL......Worth far more than just a like so I quoted the post to enable this.............

[gargamon]

3 hours ago, nglodnig said:

It is ILLEGAL for under eighteenyear olds to buy alcohol and tobacco. Why is it so difficult to enforce this law for cannabis so adults can make their own mind up?

Do they deliver alcohol or tobacco by express? Anyone, any age can order online and have it delivered cod the next day. 

[Classic Ray]

2 hours ago, Robert Tyrrell said:

Good Morning ???? 

 

Its absolutely hilarious how they whine about cannabis, Yet alcohol is legal in Thailand ???????? Having one of the highest death rates with driving drunk and highest overall road deaths in total, Underage Thai children in villages are sent to stores to buy there parents beer, Seen MANY TIMES !!
Not to mention them getting in there cars and driving drunk to go out and kill people and themselves most times ,RIDICULOUS THOUGHT PROCESS AND COMMON SENSE IS EXTREMELY QUESTIONABLE HERE IN THAILAND ???????? ???? 

No,no,no, that’s entirely different. All the breweries/distilleries are owned by hiso families who can’t have their income streams affected. I’m sure they are the biggest advocates of cannabis recriminalisation.

[nobodysfriend]

Did somebody think about the poor Thai police ...?

First illegal ... than legal , now on the way to become illegal again .... they must be confused ...

But , on the other hand , now they know who is involved in the business , names , adresses ...

 

I do not think that they will ever manage to reduce the cannabis consumption in Thailand , but , it becoming illegal again , it would give a fine occasion for extortion ( bribes ) to them ... an additional income for the RTP .

[JimboB4]

Another bull<deleted> article by TVF. Some of you need to go back to the UK or Australia or another country where they have the real authoritarian government that you seek. Because nothing here is changing it’s expanding, especially in the north east. 

[wombat]

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

Reefer madness

You rang?

[Lemsta69]

11 minutes ago, JimboB4 said:

Another bull<deleted> article by TVF. Some of you need to go back to the UK or Australia or another country where they have the real authoritarian government that you seek. Because nothing here is changing it’s expanding, especially in the north east. 

The article is by Adam Judd from the Pattaya News, not "TVF" (whatever that is).

[paddypower]

2 hours ago, Robert Tyrrell said:

Good Morning ???? 

 

Its absolutely hilarious how they whine about cannabis, Yet alcohol is legal in Thailand ???????? Having one of the highest death rates with driving drunk and highest overall road deaths in total, Underage Thai children in villages are sent to stores to buy there parents beer, Seen MANY TIMES !!
Not to mention them getting in there cars and driving drunk to go out and kill people and themselves most times ,RIDICULOUS THOUGHT PROCESS AND COMMON SENSE IS EXTREMELY QUESTIONABLE HERE IN THAILAND ???????? ???? 

i guess you only recently arrived? as I wrote on another thread recently, logic is not not on the Thai school curriculum, never was since i came in '92 and never will be. add to that - the belief that whatever happens to you is preordained fate. When it happens that you die, you will come back again. I have never figured out the part where, when you come back again, will you have learned anything new? 

[paddypower]

11 minutes ago, wombat said:

You rang?

hahaha...sponsored by the cotton mills of America, due to their fear that hemp would take over the industry. today, my guess is that it is the pharma anti-depression drug industry versus ganja.

[paddypower]

11 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

The article is by Adam Judd from the Pattaya News, not "TVF" (whatever that is).

Pattaya News - similar to '' The Bangkok Post - current news'' :you will find both in the thesaurus, right under ''oxymoron''.

[ezzra]

It's has nothing to do with yes cannabis-no cannabis policy, it could have been the issue of Bananas for all intend and purposes, it has a lot to do with power play, dominant of opinions, doing favours and forcing your ideas and policies, any policies, on other for wide arrays of gains, both in politics and wealth oriented, and the every Thai government to date has excelled in playing those games...

[itsari]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

As the fragrant tendrils of cannabis intertwine with the spicy scents of Thailand’s famed street markets, the nation finds itself entwined in a knotty debate over the recent decriminalisation of the much-maligned plant.

Only a year since the momentous shift in drug policy, the lush landscapes of Thailand have seen a ‘green rush’ of cannabis dispensaries emerging like mushrooms in the monsoon season, their roots entwining with the local economies of cities and townships throughout the kingdom. The landscape is transformed, with farmers pivoting from traditional crops to cultivating cannabis and entrepreneurs like Wassaya Iemvijan and Nitikrist Attakrist, former lawyers turned cannabis dispensary owners, navigating the turbid waters of a nascent industry.

But a change of tide is perceptible. With a conservative coalition government recently swept into power, the leafy future of the cannabis industry in Thailand faces potential withering. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s intent to “rectify” the legislation looms large over small businesses and agricultural communities that have nestled into the warm embrace of the cannabis trade.

 

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin

Decriminalisation was met with a bouquet of opportunities for many. Farmers, formerly tethered to the economic whims of traditional cash crops like rice, found new vitality in the cannabis industry. The growth extended beyond the field, enveloping small businesses, providing financial security to families, and enabling enhanced educational prospects for children.

In an intricate dance, cannabis became both a burgeoning business and a lifeline for Thai locals.

 

Yet, juxtaposed against these tales of prosperity and empowerment is a government fraught with concerns about widespread drug issues, particularly in the northeastern and northern locales of Thailand. In an attempt to stem a perceived tide of recreational use, the government contemplates restricting cannabis utilisation solely for medical applications.

 

By Adam Judd

 

Full story: THE PATTAYA NEWS  2023-10-03

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

Swept into power ????

Try again Adam

[Bday Prang]

40 minutes ago, gargamon said:

Do they deliver alcohol or tobacco by express? Anyone, any age can order online and have it delivered cod the next day. 

Of course,  once its illegal again only over 21's will have access to it won't they?   

Have you not realised that Theoretically anybody of any age could order anything online  should we therefore ban everything

[Ironmike]

Well it's called Weed for a reason now that it's here it's going to be hard to get rid of so get used to it, many have said about the booze and smokes and this is true too, this government stole the election and now there looking to steal your rights.