Thailand Wrestles with the Ripple Effects of Cannabis Decriminalisation

[impulse]

41 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

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.

My forecast was, and still is, that Thai weed will have to be sold with a tax stamp eventually.  And only the hiso families will be able to buy the tax stamps.  So they'll make all the real money, and the farmers and dispensaries will scratch out a meager living.

 

[JonnyF]

3 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.

Cannabis is illegal in the UK.

 

So the suggestion that of the populace still stunk of it (slight exaggeration I think), kind of highlights how stupid it would be to make it illegal in Thailand again. 

 

I've never slept so well as I have the past few months...

[Purdey]

The big question is why put cannabis back into the hands of drug lords? It has always been available to all ages if they could afford it, as is ya ba and ecstacy. Now, the government can tax it and receive much need revenue, while benefiting farmers financially, but would rather allow gangsters to get rich. 

So ironic that rich countries are decriminalizing while Thailand moves in the opposite direction. 

[SoilSpoil]

Maybe, just maybe  too many Thai Leo/Singha drinkers are consuming less beer and more cannabis. The relaxed annabis policies are possibly hurting the big beer families.

[spidermike007]

1. Keep it legal. The war on drugs has failed miserably. Do not give that franchise back to the RTP. 

 

2. If you are going to control it, then control alcohol too. Pot makes people lazy and less ambitious. Alcohol kills millions annually. 

[NorthernRyland]

59 minutes ago, wombat said:

You rang?

actually now that I see that picture maybe they were right. Look at the nice clothes those people have on compared to the sweatpants and oversized t-shirt the average American is wearing today (because they're fat slobs). Those people probably didn't say <deleted> and <deleted> 5 times in every sentence either.  In every major American city there are people completely destroyed on drugs dying a slow death living on the streets.

 

Not saying it was weed but whatever bad things they thought were going to happen clearly already did.

[Marco51]

4 hours ago, bbbbooboo said:

Some people enjoy cannabis, some dont. Its that simple

Not if at the same time the consumption of Chang and Singha deteriorates .....and the pressure of their equally "conservative, unelected" contemporaries next door in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, etc. are up the trees raving against it as their youth are rather quietly demanding same. After all this government is all about business first at whatever cost. And actually regulating and detailing a new law is un-Thai, that would mean committing and not leaving things to interpretation, so even the plod are loosing out. So no, it isn't that simple......................yes, could be.

[bamnutsak]

Cannabis flower was decriminalized with the stroke of a pen and a Royally Gazetted Order.

 

It can be re-criminalized equally easily, within a day or two, by the Minister of Public Health Cholnan Srikaew. 

 

If Cannabis is such a threat then it would be criminal NOT to put it back on the Narcotics lists, and set about arresting the hundreds of thousands of people growing (with a Government-issued license), selling (with a Government-issued license) and consuming Cannabis.

 

Clearly no one wants to admit having been perceived to have made a gigantic mistake de-criminalizing Cannabis, and there is no real will to do so. Hence things will continue as is until Parliament makes progress. Some say that may be a year (including an amnesty period) away.

 

It does give the new government something to talk about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by bamnutsak

[AustinRacing]

2 hours ago, Dickie Dee said:

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. 

You’re kidding right? Nothing on its devastating effects particularly on youths? Benefits don’t outweigh adverse effects I’m afraid. 

[Datsun 1200]

The previous Govt issued 6,000 Cannabis Dispensary licenses, They will all need to be compensated, as is totally legal what they have set up.

The new Govt won't want to pay, and it will remain available.

 

IH

[Datsun 1200]

Just now, AustinRacing said:

You’re kidding right? Nothing on its devastating effects particularly on youths? Benefits don’t outweigh adverse effects I’m afraid. 

"Nothing on its devastating effects particularly on youths?"  Data please or this is just propaganda

[bamnutsak]

17 minutes ago, AustinRacing said:

Nothing on its devastating effects particularly on youths?

Ah, the concern is for the Yutes.

 

Here's an idea, don't allow the youths to buy Cannabis.

 

Oh, wait, they already have a 20 YO age restriction.

 

 

[odanny]

Marijuana is legal in 24 states, and 15 other states have legalized it for medicinal use. While technincally illegal at the federal level, Pres. Biden is currently working to reschedule cannabis from Schedule IV to Schedule I. Schedule IV is the highest level of addiction and should only be for opiates, it shows how far sideways the drug war has always been.

 

I live in a "free" state, where dispensaries sell it to anyone over 21, just like alcohol, but without all the side effects and actual addiction that comes from alcohol. Drawbacks thus far? None. Factor in the money states make from high taxes and it aint going away, once the money rolls in, that is all that matters. 

[shackleton]

Can't see the Government changing anything its a money ???? ????  earner plus enticing Tourists to come to Thailand to use Cannabis 

To many people involved in making money it will be difficult to stop ✋ 

 

[bamnutsak]

4 minutes ago, odanny said:

Factor in the money states make from high taxes

IMO they could do more here on the tax/revenue front than just 7% VAT. An additional 5% tax on Cannabis would be reasonable, and maybe direct that towards drug (methamphetamine/ice) treatment programs.

 

The tax in my State (Massachusetts) is 20% ALL IN. 15% goes to the State, while 5% goes to the city/town where the sale takes place. It's a long way from the Blue Laws we used to have: dry towns, no alcohol sales on Sunday. More tax is taken from Cannabis than alcohol now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lemsta69]

2 hours ago, paddypower said:

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

You sound as impotent as the Aussie dude who I responded to. For all your bluster there's nothing your can do about the syndication agreement that the big Cheese has with the other news outlets. 

 

Man up and buy the website if you really feel that strongly about it.

[IamNoone88]

There are probably more cannabis shops than 7 eleven in Phuket. Most seem devoid of customers and economics will cull them if the government doesn't. I think most trade is in the bars. Personally, I don't touch the stuff and like many others I dislike the smell. I won't stay long and spend money in a place (bar or restaurant) when I can smell a joint(s) and I am not alone ... my custom quickly goes elsewhere.

[Bday Prang]

2 minutes ago, AustinRacing said:

You’re kidding right? Nothing on its devastating effects particularly on youths? Benefits don’t outweigh adverse effects I’m afraid. 

      well nothing except that, just like alcohol with its "devastating effects"    on youths ,, under 18's are not legally allowed to buy it   

                   Your "risk assessment" however is spot on , the benefits, of whatever it is you are referring to (presumably legalisation)   cannot never outweigh any adverse effects for you, indeed the two will always be in perfect balance,  because   as an obvious "none user"  the legal status of cannabis is of no consequence, it has no benefits for you, neither does it have any ill effects  so no need to be "afraid" of anything

                   If I didn't smoke cannabis I really would not have the slightest inclination to post on these cannabis threads, in the same way that I don't waste my time repeatedly  commenting negatively  on other threads regarding activities indulged in by other adults that I don't agree with. 

                   Why do the anti cannabis brigade see  any cannabis related  thread on this website as an opportunity  to spout their tired old rhetoric?  One could be forgiven for thinking it was just a form of "trolling"  which is, I believe, a form of antagonistic argumentative behaviour normally exhibited by teenage girls on social media.

[Bday Prang]

7 minutes ago, IamNoone88 said:

I don't touch the stuff and like many others I dislike the smell. I won't stay long and spend money in a place (bar or restaurant) when I can smell a joint(s) and I am not alone ... my custom quickly goes elsewhere.

  Well done.  good man  I feel the same about pla raa  but until now have never bothered to make a public virtue signalling statement about it 

[JBChiangRai]

4 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

      well nothing except that, just like alcohol with its "devastating effects"    on youths ,, under 18's are not legally allowed to buy it   

                   Your "risk assessment" however is spot on , the benefits, of whatever it is you are referring to (presumably legalisation)   cannot never outweigh any adverse effects for you, indeed the two will always be in perfect balance,  because   as an obvious "none user"  the legal status of cannabis is of no consequence, it has no benefits for you, neither does it have any ill effects  so no need to be "afraid" of anything

                   If I didn't smoke cannabis I really would not have the slightest inclination to post on these cannabis threads, in the same way that I don't waste my time repeatedly  commenting negatively  on other threads regarding activities indulged in by other adults that I don't agree with. 

                   Why do the anti cannabis brigade see  any cannabis related  thread on this website as an opportunity  to spout their tired old rhetoric?  One could be forgiven for thinking it was just a form of "trolling"  which is, I believe, a form of antagonistic argumentative behaviour normally exhibited by teenage girls on social media.

For myself, as long as all statements are factually correct, I have no problem.  Just don't say it's safe, non-addictive and doesn't trigger mental illness.

[kimamey]

3 hours ago, buriram39 said:

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

Depends on how they are defining 'swept' I suppose. Its certainly not the normal definition I would have thought. 

[Zenwind]

Well written OP/article. 

Smoking THC weed is definitely Medicinal – especially when micro-dosing. 

I’m an old guy, and smoking marijuana flower buds here in Thailand within the last year has significantly improved my health and well-being. 

My testimony is here (posted in this forum’s Health section earlier this year): 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1289233-health-benefits-of-high-thc-cannabis/

-Zenwind.

[JackGats]

5 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.

Agree, provided you do your garlic cooking up the  same mountain.

[Bday Prang]

Just now, JBChiangRai said:

For myself, as long as all statements are factually correct, I have no problem.  Just don't say it's safe, non-addictive and doesn't trigger mental illness.

                  Well I won't argue that it can't be dangerous, one time a small piece of burning hashish fell out of a joint and burnt a hole in my favorite shirt !  And back in the seventies  a mate of mine got mugged and had his bike robbed  on a council estate in liverpool  when he went to buy some weed, so yes it can be risky stuff.

                 My personal experience tells me that although having smoked cannabis habitually for over 40 years,  periods of abstinence, often for months,  cause no discomfort or ill effects , Neither have I been admitted to any psychiatric facility. Addiction is a myth as is your recently invented "cannabis use disorder" lol 

                   This is my personal lived experience so I am quite entitled to say it.      

                    You on the other hand  have no actual experience of cannabis other than what you have scoured the internet for Don't bother posting any more  links to your usual selection of fictional anti cannabis rubbish, your last lot were laughable, why not do your trolling elsewhere instead of coming here to cause trouble and spread your misinformation  

[bamnutsak]

46 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Why do the anti cannabis brigade see  any cannabis related  thread on this website as an opportunity  to spout their tired old rhetoric? 

Thirst.

 

The need to tell people what to do.

The need to feel heard.

The need to feel important.

Seeking attention.

 

 

I mean if they really cared they'd be out lobbying the government to recriminalize cannabis, protesting at cannabis dispensaries, helping youths to get on the right path.

 

Instead they spend their time here trying to convince reasonable adults, who will not be influenced by such obvious misinformed intentions, that their lifestyle choices are wrong.

 

 

 

 

[impulse]

2 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

You’re kidding right? Nothing on its devastating effects particularly on youths? Benefits don’t outweigh adverse effects I’m afraid. 

The 1930's called.  They want their rental copy of Reefer Madness back.

 

Between weed and sunshine, I'd recommend sunshine any day of the week.  But if it's a choice between weed and booze, I'd steer any loved one of mine toward the weed.  A lot less deleterious effects. 

 

Though I haven't done either one in over 30 years.

 

[n00dle]

Adam Judd, writer of this overwrought schlock should be shot and buried with his thesauraus.

[SunsetT]

6 hours ago, Robert Tyrrell said:

Good Morning ???? 

 

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 ???????? ???? 

Now they'll be getting in their cars and driving stoned, or worse still, drunk and stoned, to go out and kill people and themselves most times! From experience I know that cannabis impairs judgement and destroys focus and concentration so I think that less of it would affect driving  ability more than low to moderate amounts of alcohol.

[Andrew65]

7 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?

The legal age to buy/drink alcohol in Thailand is 20.

[connda]

Again - any argument used to justify the criminalization of marijuana can also be used to justify the criminalization of alcohol.  So I find the anti-ganja temperance union who bash recreational marijuana on one hand while downing whiskey in the other.

The hypocrisy is astounding.  If you want to see the type of power freaks you are dealing with, look no further than Orwell and Huxley.  In Orwell's 1984 the plods were rationed a small amount of alcohol to keep them compliant; and Huxley's Brave New World everyone was offered "Soma" which were numerous classes of drugs to take the plods drudgery away when they were not working. 

Obviously, we have Orwell's brand of power-freaks seeking to recriminalize marijuana.
If they are going to do that, criminalize alcohol too.  Pathetic.