On 1/7/2026 at 11:19 AM, Shaunduhpostman said:

Absolutely! Hippies pioneered it, travelers of both time and space, termites of the universe stinking it up with pot smoke, garlic breath and poor hygiene!

On 1/7/2026 at 11:19 AM, Shaunduhpostman said:

Absolutely! Hippies pioneered it, travelers of both time and space, termites of the universe stinking it up with pot smoke, garlic breath and poor hygiene!

Wow. Quite the stereotype going there. Hippies also started recycling, organic farming, proliferationof great music and helped end the Vietnam War.

On 1/7/2026 at 1:35 AM, globalspark said:

I have no idea why they ever allowed any to open as the do not created any great tourist addition to my holiday.I only see deadbeats hanging around and really do you want them. The authorities to be are always looking at vote catching crys to win votes but the fact of the matter is Thailand is far to expensive and that is the reason tourist have stopped going there.

As of late I was coming for Dental treatment and frankly it is now the same price as Australia.Crowns, extractions, cleaning filling still very cheap but implants are miles to expensive. Sure the strong Baht has a lot to do with prices.

Most of the cannabis shops I have seen are, apart from the manager/owner, empty and their opening hours shrink monthly.

53 minutes ago, Issan girl said:

Wow. Quite the stereotype going there. Hippies also started recycling, organic farming, proliferationof great music and helped end the Vietnam War.

Didn't hippies also start living off welfare, in their communes? 🙂

On 1/10/2026 at 12:56 PM, wombat said:

What part of kickstart did you fail to understand?

I don't understand why "kickstarting" a sluggish economy that's dramatically slower than the economies of neighboring SE Asian countries, would be considered commendable.

Tourism, and the economy in general, are increasing much faster in Vietnam and Malaysia vs Thailand. With cannabis illegal in both Vietnam and Malaysia it could be argued that cannabis legalization is deterring more tourists than it's attracting.

Seems more like a kick in the gut than a kickstart.

10 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

I don't understand why "kickstarting" a sluggish economy that's dramatically slower than the economies of neighboring SE Asian countries, would be considered commendable.

Tourism, and the economy in general, are increasing much faster in Vietnam and Malaysia vs Thailand. With cannabis illegal in both Vietnam and Malaysia it could be argued that cannabis legalization is deterring more tourists than it's attracting.

Seems more like a kick in the gut than a kickstart.

I have one rule on the internet

I never argue with idtents

They wear me down and win with experience.

4 hours ago, wombat said:

I have one rule on the internet

I never argue with idtents

They wear me down and win with experience.

Not sure what an "idtent" is, I'm assuming a high form of praise?

In any case, probably best to end this argument right here.

On 1/7/2026 at 11:19 AM, Shaunduhpostman said:

Absolutely! Hippies pioneered it, travelers of both time and space, termites of the universe stinking it up with pot smoke, garlic breath and poor hygiene!

Yeah, well you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.

On 1/7/2026 at 10:00 AM, JamesPhuket10 said:

The sex trade is has also been illegal for decades but they are still operating so I take this new rule with a pinch of salt.

It makes no difference to me though as I never use either bar girls or drugs. 😃

Or use the Lord's name in vain.

1 hour ago, tjintx said:

Or use the Lord's name in vain.

You mean the imaginary man in the sky, no I don't wast my time on that silly idea either.

But I do like a good booze up and on rare occasions a fag (cigarette, not ladyboy). 😀

I smelled some spicy herbs on Saturday a farang man in a bar openly rolling what we used to call doobies back in the 80s From what I would reckon was a "lid" or ounce sized baggie (28.3 grammes for rest of world).

Feeling rather Merry I sad something like "Nice looking sack man, cheers".

A few minutes later he handed me one.

Confused as loads still open in tourist areas packed with Benidorm Brits

On 1/6/2026 at 2:38 PM, KhunHeineken said:

Did you even read the article?

It says this:

"Existing cannabis shops with valid licences are permitted to operate until their permits expire."

The way I read the story it suggest the 7,000 shops out of 18,000 have already closed, with several thousnds of other licenses not to be renewed this year or next. I haven't noticed any closures in my area. They are still open. I haven't seen a shuttered one yet.

Talk about a lesson in how to create a multi-billion baht industry and let everyone invest, then turn around and screw everyone over just because the political tide turns... way to go on that. Not a good thing for investors to look to as an example, as investing was shaky at best if you are not Thai anyhow... facepalm.

2 hours ago, Asean Tiger said:

I smelled some spicy herbs on Saturday a farang man in a bar openly rolling what we used to call doobies back in the 80s From what I would reckon was a "lid" or ounce sized baggie (28.3 grammes for rest of world).

Feeling rather Merry I sad something like "Nice looking sack man, cheers".

A few minutes later he handed me one.

You told another man he had a nice looking sack ? 😅

41 minutes ago, blaze master said:

You told another man he had a nice looking sack ? 😅

Yeah, I didn't mean it that way though. Maybe I said bag. 😀Twenty five years ago I checked out of a Thai Guest house where backpackers were smoking pot. I had no desire to get associated with that, and any draconian enforcement and Thai jails. But when I got home the next day I toasted the end. I had a lighter in my drawer to light tea candles.

The raw product smelled nice but smelled bad burning , took a small puff, bad taste.

I think it was not dried properly according to my proffesional opinion from about 35 years ago.

"Dirt Weed"

4 minutes ago, Asean Tiger said:

Yeah, I didn't mean it that way though. Maybe I said bag. 😀Twenty five years ago I checked out of a Thai Guest house where backpackers were smoking pot. I had no desire to get associated with that, and any draconian enforcement and Thai jails. But when I got home the next day I toasted the end. I had a lighter in my drawer to light tea candles.

The raw product smelled nice but smelled bad burning , took a small puff, bad taste.

I think it was not dried properly according to my proffesional opinion from about 35 years ago.

"Dirt Weed"

Back then in thailand you determined quality this way

Is it green or brown ?

4 minutes ago, blaze master said:

Back then in thailand you determined quality this way

Is it green or brown ?

I never smoked in Thailand. In the 80s we had something in USA they called "Thai Stick". I don't know what it really was but the cheaper stuff was called Columbian , brown with seeds. The good stuff came from Northern California. Bright Green with red pistils no seeds. I looked at it once under a magnifying glass it was covered with white crystals. I hear the stuff these days they sell at dispensaries is much stronger and can knock you on your duff if you are not ready for it. The weed the dude had was dark green actually, another reason I now think it has not been dried throughly. I trashed it.

5 minutes ago, Asean Tiger said:

I hear the stuff these days they sell at dispensaries is much stronger and can knock you on your duff if you are not ready for it.

There is some truth to this but its a very complex answer.

6 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Confused as loads still open in tourist areas packed with Benidorm Brits

Knob.

22 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

I haven't noticed any closures in my area. They are still open. I haven't seen a shuttered one yet.

Could that be because they are allowed to keep trading until their current permit expires, as per what's stated in the article? 😂

2 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

Could that be because they are allowed to keep trading until their current permit expires, as per what's stated in the article? 😂

Yes, it could be that. But the article said 7,000 were already closed in 2025. Many thousands more this year 'when their licenses expire'.

1 hour ago, ronnie50 said:

Yes, it could be that. But the article said 7,000 were already closed in 2025. Many thousands more this year 'when their licenses expire'.

It's interesting because it's possible the lease on the commercial premises is longer than the permit / license. So, whilst they may not be granted a permit or license renewal due to the stricter criteria, they may hold onto the property in the hope the next election will see a back flip on the criteria. So, the shops may still be there, but just not selling cannabis.