I keep seeing the usual online outrage, foreigners puffing on weed in tourist areas, corrupting the youth, ruining the sacred purity of Thailand with their smelly sins. Won’t someone think of the children?

 

Anyway, today I’m walking down the soi in my respectable, middle class, very Thai neighborhood in Bangkok. Not some expat circus or backpacker zoo. Mostly locals here, the odd foreigner like me sprinkled in. And what do I see? Two Thai dudes, standing right there on the footpath, across from a small private hospital, just casually blazing up. Nice clean clothes. One was wearing an expensive looking Apple Watch. Normal looking guys, early thirties, looked like they were on a smoke break from being well-adjusted members of society.

 

Were they bothering anyone? No. Disturbing the peace? Nope. Summoning demons with their evil Mary Jane flowers? Didn’t seem like it. They were just having a chill chat and a toke, like you might with a coffee or a cigarette.

 

But here’s the ironic part: nobody batted an eye. No concerned aunties clutching their pearls. No kids bursting into tears. No moral panic. No three-alarm fire. Just normal life.

 

So let me get this straight. If a foreigner lights up in a touristy area, it’s a national emergency. But when it’s locals, in a non-tourist, mostly Thai neighborhood, that’s just fine?

You know the law about smoking and waping in Thailand, if not I suggest you google it. 

43 minutes ago, Hummin said:

You know the law about smoking and waping in Thailand, if not I suggest you google it. 

The Op is probably making the point that it's one set of rules for Thailand and another for "foreigners."

I'm outraged. 

I'm outraged.....wait did I already say that ?

18 minutes ago, connda said:

The Op is probably making the point that it's one set of rules for Thailand and another for "foreigners."

I do not like the new drug tourists infest the hot spots I used to travel to. It is smoking weed everywhere and thats how it is. 

 

No matter its testaurants, pick up points for ferry, buss, around the swimmingpool balconies, ,,,,,,

 

Worst is the islands who had the weed culture, but only assigned to certain bars and redorts, now all over the place. 

 

It will be intersting to see whats going to happen next. 

The local consumption of weed in Thailand surely outnumbers the amount of weed consumed by all the weed tourists combined, and by a large margin. 

3 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

I keep seeing the usual online outrage, foreigners puffing on weed in tourist areas, corrupting the youth, ruining the sacred purity of Thailand with their smelly sins. Won’t someone think of the children?

 

Anyway, today I’m walking down the soi in my respectable, middle class, very Thai neighborhood in Bangkok. Not some expat circus or backpacker zoo. Mostly locals here, the odd foreigner like me sprinkled in. And what do I see? Two Thai dudes, standing right there on the footpath, across from a small private hospital, just casually blazing up. Nice clean clothes. One was wearing an expensive looking Apple Watch. Normal looking guys, early thirties, looked like they were on a smoke break from being well-adjusted members of society.

 

Were they bothering anyone? No. Disturbing the peace? Nope. Summoning demons with their evil Mary Jane flowers? Didn’t seem like it. They were just having a chill chat and a toke, like you might with a coffee or a cigarette.

 

But here’s the ironic part: nobody batted an eye. No concerned aunties clutching their pearls. No kids bursting into tears. No moral panic. No three-alarm fire. Just normal life.

 

So let me get this straight. If a foreigner lights up in a touristy area, it’s a national emergency. But when it’s locals, in a non-tourist, mostly Thai neighborhood, that’s just fine?

 

No, that's not the case, you only think it is. Go about your business, accept that not everything in Thailand is going to meet your criteria of what is right and get on with it. With concerns like this you'll have a heart attack within weeks. Let it go man.

1 minute ago, FriscoKid said:

The local consumption of weed in Thailand surely outnumbers the amount of weed consumed by all the weed tourists combined, and by a large margin. 

Riding my motorbikes around in Thailand off the tourist tracks, you do not see Thai smoke in public, like you see tourists smoke in tourist infested areas. 

 

They do not smoke on restaurants with kids, do not sit and roll their joints on the table in public, at the ferries, pick up points.

 

If you see them, its locals at the rasta/pirat/jungle bar and sometimes all the way up in the corner of a beach. 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Riding my motorbikes around in Thailand off the tourist tracks, you do not see Thai smoke in public, like you see tourists smoke in tourist infested areas. 

 

They do not smoke on restaurants with kids, do not sit and roll their joints on the table in public, at the ferries, pick up points.

 

If you see them, its locals at the rasta/pirat/jungle bar and sometimes all the way up in the corner of a beach. 

 

 

I don't know where Thais go to smoke. That wasn't my point. I was only saying that they smoke more than the tourists do. But if you're a tourist, where are you going to smoke it if not close to the area where you bought it from? You can't go back to your hotel room and smoke it. So what are your options? Also, there is no smoking of anything allowed in restaurants in Thailand.

6 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

So let me get this straight. If a foreigner lights up in a touristy area, it’s a national emergency. But when it’s locals, in a non-tourist, mostly Thai neighborhood, that’s just fine?

You made a very big extrapolation from one small, isolated incident. 

4 hours ago, StandardIssue said:

 

No, that's not the case, you only think it is. Go about your business, accept that not everything in Thailand is going to meet your criteria of what is right and get on with it. With concerns like this you'll have a heart attack within weeks. Let it go man.

Agree, simply weird how some people get off deriding Thais and it is ironic in this case.  He is insulted by Thais looking down on tourists smoking weed.   He also compares two well dressed Thai business men to tourists smoking.  One stands out a little more?

 

BTW, he will never let it go but will just store in his noggin with all the other petty things Thais do wrong.  Whatever floats your boat I guess but seems like a pathetic life.

 

 

8 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

I keep seeing the usual online outrage, foreigners puffing on weed in tourist areas, corrupting the youth, ruining the sacred purity of Thailand with their smelly sins. Won’t someone think of the children?

 

Anyway, today I’m walking down the soi in my respectable, middle class, very Thai neighborhood in Bangkok. Not some expat circus or backpacker zoo. Mostly locals here, the odd foreigner like me sprinkled in. And what do I see? Two Thai dudes, standing right there on the footpath, across from a small private hospital, just casually blazing up. Nice clean clothes. One was wearing an expensive looking Apple Watch. Normal looking guys, early thirties, looked like they were on a smoke break from being well-adjusted members of society.

 

Were they bothering anyone? No. Disturbing the peace? Nope. Summoning demons with their evil Mary Jane flowers? Didn’t seem like it. They were just having a chill chat and a toke, like you might with a coffee or a cigarette.

 

But here’s the ironic part: nobody batted an eye. No concerned aunties clutching their pearls. No kids bursting into tears. No moral panic. No three-alarm fire. Just normal life.

 

So let me get this straight. If a foreigner lights up in a touristy area, it’s a national emergency. But when it’s locals, in a non-tourist, mostly Thai neighborhood, that’s just fine?

Did you join in?

7 hours ago, Hummin said:

I do not like the new drug tourists infest the hot spots I used to travel to. It is smoking weed everywhere and thats how it is. 

 

No matter its testaurants, pick up points for ferry, buss, around the swimmingpool balconies, ,,,,,,

 

Worst is the islands who had the weed culture, but only assigned to certain bars and redorts, now all over the place. 

 

It will be intersting to see whats going to happen next. 

Spellchecker not working?

10 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

I keep seeing the usual online outrage, foreigners puffing on weed in tourist areas, corrupting the youth, ruining the sacred purity of Thailand with their smelly sins. Won’t someone think of the children?

 

Anyway, today I’m walking down the soi in my respectable, middle class, very Thai neighborhood in Bangkok. Not some expat circus or backpacker zoo. Mostly locals here, the odd foreigner like me sprinkled in. And what do I see? Two Thai dudes, standing right there on the footpath, across from a small private hospital, just casually blazing up. Nice clean clothes. One was wearing an expensive looking Apple Watch. Normal looking guys, early thirties, looked like they were on a smoke break from being well-adjusted members of society.

 

Were they bothering anyone? No. Disturbing the peace? Nope. Summoning demons with their evil Mary Jane flowers? Didn’t seem like it. They were just having a chill chat and a toke, like you might with a coffee or a cigarette.

 

But here’s the ironic part: nobody batted an eye. No concerned aunties clutching their pearls. No kids bursting into tears. No moral panic. No three-alarm fire. Just normal life.

 

So let me get this straight. If a foreigner lights up in a touristy area, it’s a national emergency. But when it’s locals, in a non-tourist, mostly Thai neighborhood, that’s just fine?

I dont think the issue is so much smoking as it is with where, when and how you smoke. Many "tourist" blaze up in inappropriate places and think its all fun and games because they are on vacation. Many thia's have no issue with it if you're doing it in an appropriate setting. 

3 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Spellchecker not working?

Sorry

 

Smoked to much weed

3 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Sorry

 

Smoked to much weed

...tOO much is not possible?

14 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

I keep seeing the usual online outrage, foreigners puffing on weed in tourist areas, corrupting the youth, ruining the sacred purity of Thailand with their smelly sins. Won’t someone think of the children?

Have you got any links for this online outrage?

I would like to read them.

The people who mostly complain about the smell of weed are foreigners moaning about other foreigners, not Thais.

13 hours ago, connda said:

The Op is probably making the point that it's one set of rules for Thailand and another for "foreigners."

 

Which is often true, at least when we see it so commonly reported here.

 

Then we have the subset of foreigners, many of whom are vocal on this forum, who a highly vocal against foreigners - yet accuse anyone else of being racist and Thai bashers when they make exactly the same criticism of Thai's doing the same thing.

 

This bunch of ridiculously hypocritical puritans are a comical...   they think they are more Thai than the Thai's who's simply just laugh in their face for being idiots. 

15 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

So let me get this straight. If a foreigner lights up in a touristy area, it’s a national emergency. But when it’s locals, in a non-tourist, mostly Thai neighborhood, that’s just fine?

 

Pretty much - Yes...     Because Tourists are the 'low hanging fruit'....    They get caught for vaping, smoking and dropping their butts, and smoking weed....  

 

... The do so blazenly, but in area's of high footfall which are highly policed in areas where the police have already paid a premium to secure their positions - they have to make their money back somehow...

 

But.... Yes, this is double standards...   but its not surprising for anyone who lives here....

 

Know the rules, know the area.

I don't like the linger of pot smoke when I'm walking with family. 

16 hours ago, Hummin said:

You know the law about smoking and waping in Thailand, if not I suggest you google it. 

 

The law is the Public Health Act which makes it a not terribly serious offence to smoke tobacco, weeds, herbs or anything else in public, if it causes a nuisance and someone complains.  It is also illegal for restaurants to allow patrons to smoke anywhere that food is served whether inside or outside.

The authorities try to make out there is a specific law against smoking weed in public to intimidate people and to satisfy the haters and non-partaking Chinese  and Singaporean tourists but the truth it that they have not got around to passing any legislation specific to smoking cannabis in public. 

 

I agree that non-smokers in general should not be troubled by weed or any other smoke.  

I guess a lot depends on the “how”.  For example, some who vape are “chasing clouds”, I think it’s called.  They have to really blow out tons of steam (it’s not smoke) which obviously people think of as harmful smoke.  I guess with smoking of any kind as well as vaping, if you’re out in public why not be discreet about it?  OK I know vaping is not allowed, which IMHO is ridiculous, it has helped many a cigarette smoker quit cigarettes.  
yes, cannabis does have a rather distinct smell about it, so there again, some polite and thoughtful smokers of weed could perhaps sit on one side at an open bar.  I really have no issue with the smell, if the guy/woman smoking it was there first, I can sit farther away.  Why are we so offended by everything these days?  What kind of society have we become?  We tend to police everyone, but when it turns on us, we are offended.  Ease up! 

14 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

 

I agree that non-smokers in general should not be troubled by weed or any other smoke.  

The smokers do not like to be told what they should do or not, so unfortunately, the only thing that works is consequences. Basically they are going to ruin their own freedom finely, and the authorities will punish the whole group for what ignorant mostly tourist's actions.

 

My experiences is from Koh Chang, Koh Kood, Koh Mak (not as bad as the other island, because higher standard resorts mostly) Koh Phangaan, Koh Tao, Koh Phayam, and Krabi in general the two last years, and also some individual beaches on the stretch from Surat Thani up to Prachuap Khiri Khan. North of Prachaup not so much. 

 

Experiences within the last two years, and last christmas holiday the worst ever

5 minutes ago, Hummin said:

The smokers do not like to be told what they should do or not, so unfortunately, the only thing that works is consequences. Basically they are going to ruin their own freedom finely, and the authorities will punish the whole group for what ignorant mostly tourist's actions.

 

My experiences is from Koh Chang, Koh Kood, Koh Mak (not as bad as the other island, because higher standard resorts mostly) Koh Phangaan, Koh Tao, Koh Phayam, and Krabi in general the two last years, and also some individual beaches on the stretch from Surat Thani up to Prachuap Khiri Khan. North of Prachaup not so much. 

 

Experiences within the last two years, and last christmas holiday the worst ever

If it is so bad then why even go to Thailand? Plenty of cheep beaches in Vietnam and elsewhere. 

2 minutes ago, hankypankee said:

If it is so bad then why even go to Thailand? Plenty of cheep beaches in Vietnam and elsewhere. 

Married with a thai and got property in Thailand.

 

This is just a question of respect for other people, no matter you are Thai, expat or tourist, and without consequences, nothing will change until the authorities take action.

 

For me, it is just a matter of priorities, and choose places where I do not need to be bothered by ignorant dopeheads.

 

It is the weed smokers who destroy for themselves finely, just a matter of time

 

 

17 hours ago, connda said:

The Op is probably making the point that it's one set of rules for Thailand and another for "foreigners."

He just worked that out 😂 

Just to clarify, the point of my OP isn’t that there’s one set of rules for Thais and another for foreigners. It’s not about foreigners being treated unfairly. It’s about the whole weed-smoking-in-public debate being a performance. A bit of theatre for social media, news headlines, and political points.

 

Nobody actually cares about public weed smoking. That’s the point. Locals do it all the time, out in the open, and nobody reacts. Not in horror, not in concern, not at all. It’s a non-issue in real life. The only time it becomes a scandal is when someone films a foreigner doing it and decides to make a scene about the moral decay of Thai society. Suddenly it’s the end of the world.

 

So no, it’s not that foreigners are being unfairly singled out. It’s that the moral outrage is selective and mostly for show. The rules exist, technically, but they’re not really enforced unless there’s a spectacle to be made. It’s not about protecting kids or preserving culture. It’s about optics.

 

The guys I saw were just having a relaxed moment. No drama. No judgement. And that’s probably how it should be. But let a tourist light up in public in a place where some people don't like it and it’s headline news. That’s the real inconsistency. Not the rules, but the reaction.