Thailand's drug penalties 'unfair, laws need rethink'

[Yooyung]

Legalize kratom.... Putting people behind bars for a plant that is native to this country, has been used for centuries for the relief of all sorts of ailments is ridiculous! I have been around this plant a lot for years, its used out where my in laws live. Its pretty mild stuff unless you eat a very large amount of it. In smaller doses its a stimulant, like caffiene (but not) in larger doses it does have an opium like effect, and it does relieve pain. The person was right that said it was made illegal due to it being used to wean people off opiates. That is NOT any kind of justification in my view.

Legalize pot as well while your at it.......If Thailand legalised those two substances they could have Ganja and kratom bars down on the beaches. Sound better than the Sangsom/red bull bars they have at the moment! A kratom/ganja milkshake sounds interesting

[maidee]

another thing they copied from the USA ...

but overthere, you even go to jail for solliciting a hooker, imagine that money maker in thailand ...

[Guitar God]

I think you meant that the unemployment rate in Colorado is improving, not increasing. It was 5% in 2014 and 4% now and still going down.

The first result in a Google search for "Colorado unemployment rate" will bring up that graph.

My thoughts on laws are they need to meet the test , are these laws producing the desired result? i.e. If the desired outcome is reduced use or reduced harm, if the laws are not having the desired effect, or are exacerbating the problem then they need to be reviewed and revised.

In Portugal, The Netherlands and both states in the U.S. where soft drugs were decriminalized experienced a reduction in use, especially by minors and less costs to society. Both in money and human terms.

Legalization in Colorado is the best thing that happened to the state since mountains and snow.

It would be far better to legalize Pot, reason being two fold it would give rice farmers another income, by licensing the rice farmer fees collected and tax on pot could go to treatment of more serious drug use. Also it could help train The royal Thai police to be better at there job of enforcing laws. It is a shame that you can kill a police officer and get bail and travel the world at will if your rich. Yet same crime and poor you would not be on the streets for years awaiting trial. You can rob the country blind and still have valid passport to travel and thumb your nose at the government.

It's also good for the tourism industry. Pot tourism has boomed in Colorado, Oregon and Washington where pot has been legalized.

Pot is not an issue in Thailand. Legalizing it in Colorado has brought a rise in their unemployment rate. Thailand like any other country in the world should look at the success Portugal has had with their drug problem. They still have a problem but it is nothing compared to other countries.

Thailand could take a page out of the experience in the states. There was a time not so long ago when possession of one joint could get you 5 years in jail. They in the states have the highest Per Capita rate of people in jail in the world.

One other big detail this article omitted is that a lot of what the Thai Government has considered drug treatment consisted of a stint in jail. I am not up on the current status but I do know that some place in the last year they were talking about revamping their drug treatment system and dropping the jail time. Like I say I am not up on where they are with that.

I am not a Thai Basher or naive. I do not expect it to happen over night. Also there is only at the present 3 states out of 50 and they all have stringent controls on the distribution. To the best of my knowledge the only country where it was a tourist draw was the Netherlands and it is my understanding they have tightened laws up a little bit there along with a lax enforcement of them. LOL sound familiar.

[bobbin]

Alternative solution guys. Anyone you find with drugs make them take the lot in one go. If they get over it then send them home. If they dont who cares

You and Mr. Rogers up there (buddy,can you spare a cardigan?) have become The Problem...

The tipping point was reached a few years ago and we're just waiting for more dominoes to fall.

Five years from now, if you are lucky (and young) enough to be here, you will be crying in your beer (hypocrite!) about how the world has gone to pot!

[Guitar God]

The Dutch government is now filled with religious conservatives. Their attempt to recriminalize soft drugs has led to an increase in crime, use by minors, incidents in adulteration, criminality and social problems. It's back to the 70's in the Netherlands.

In the mid 70's they treated heroin use as a health issue and have very few problems. In the past year four tourists have died from heroin they bought in Amsterdam. No coincidence that they changed their position on that in recent years either.

[gandalf12]

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Alternative solution guys. Anyone you find with drugs make them take the lot in one go. If they get over it then send them home. If they dont who cares

You and Mr. Rogers up there (buddy,can you spare a cardigan?) have become The Problem...

The tipping point was reached a few years ago and we're just waiting for more dominoes to fall.

Five years from now, if you are lucky (and young) enough to be here, you will be crying in your beer (hypocrite!) about how the world has gone to pot!

You sound like the dregs of humanity and I guess you are. Go home you useless piece of **** Thailand has no need for idiots like you

[someonelovesyou]

There are people out there that blindly label all drug users as scum while they themselves drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and ingest anti-depressants and painkillers.

Such sheep. If they made alcohol illegal (and they happened to not drink) I'm sure they would call all alcohol drinkers scum too. Of course if they did drink then they would be all like "we need to end the war on drugs, you can't take away our alcohol" !!

[trogers]

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In the few countries that all drugs have been legalised, the crime rate dropped more than half. The prisons emptied. In fact drug addiction goes down. With accessible treatment centers, people choose to stop taking drugs all by themselves. After they get through their addiction,former addicts are know to be hard workers and dedicated family carers. The drug war has been failing for years. Time to try something different.

When rape, killing and robbery/theft are legalised, crime rates would fall by more than 80% too.

Really?

Really! What was once a crime is now not counted as a crime...the stats shall so reflect a drastic fall...

[Guitar God]

If the government made corn, bad grammar or flip flops illegal the crime stats would go up. Decriminalizing kratom or cannabis results in less crime not only because people are no longer being arrested for things that shouldn't have been illegal anyway.

Violent crime in Colorado has decreased , so have OD deaths from legal prescription narcotics.

There are good reasons murder, theft, rape and assault are illegal. There are no good reasons cannabis is illegal and Colorado and Washington state are the proof.

Cannabis was prohibited in the U.S. In the 30's for racist reasons and bribes and pressure from companies who profited big by its prohibition.

[trogers]

If the government made corn, bad grammar or flip flops illegal the crime stats would go up. Decriminalizing kratom or cannabis results in less crime not only because people are no longer being arrested for things that shouldn't have been illegal anyway.

Violent crime in Colorado has decreased , so have OD deaths from legal prescription narcotics.

There are good reasons murder, theft, rape and assault are illegal. There are no good reasons cannabis is illegal and Colorado and Washington state are the proof.

Cannabis was prohibited in the U.S. In the 30's for racist reasons and bribes and pressure from companies who profited big by its prohibition.

And Thailand has to content with not only drunk driving, but driving while high on drugs?

[bobbin]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Alternative solution guys. Anyone you find with drugs make them take the lot in one go. If they get over it then send them home. If they dont who cares

You and Mr. Rogers up there (buddy,can you spare a cardigan?) have become The Problem...

The tipping point was reached a few years ago and we're just waiting for more dominoes to fall.

Five years from now, if you are lucky (and young) enough to be here, you will be crying in your beer (hypocrite!) about how the world has gone to pot!

You sound like the dregs of humanity and I guess you are. Go home you useless piece of **** Thailand has no need for idiots like you

Irrational expression of hostility. Yep.. you're a role model....for intolerance. You are not living on this planet alone....and your kind have had their kick at the can. Move over....

[TheWizardofRnR]

The Wars on Drugs in the World do nothing but put money in Criminals Pockets and does nothing to help people who have the Illness of Drug Addiction ,especially when they are sent to Jail where they still are being fed the poison. ! Thailand , if it at least allowed Medicinal Marijuana will give Thai Doctors the chance to study Marijuana and maybe discover one of the Medical Treatments it helps People deal with certain afflictions , like Inflammation of my Legs , when I used for Medical use their was total decreasing of inflammation in both legs from my knees down to my toes . I remember it was suffered by relatives from Both sides of the Family. Yet , after 3 weeks it usually , for myself that is , reduces the swelling in both feet and as long as I use it , my legs are not swelling or developing a tightness in my Skin .Just the Medical Tourism it would bring to Thailand , just for this purpose alone or others Doctors are helping people with now.in other parts of the world. But allow it before the USA gets more States to go Legal or other Countries seeing their chance to profit before too many other go Legal Medicinal use.The programs on CNN showing how it is saving lives of Children who have seizures out of control , now almost able to live a better life and longer due to Pot's Natural healing components in its make-up. People are seeing the lies that were told by US Federal Agents ,after 1933 when they would lose their jobs with the Prohibition Amendment 's REPEAL of the Volstead Act or the 18 th Amendment....very bad law , just the same as Marijuana being a 1st Category , no medical value , big Pharma joined the lie , as did Alcohol related and whoever makes all that plastic &lt;deleted&gt; thats going to kill off the World's Fish supplies sooner or later, if we keep using our Oceans as garbage dumps !!

Alas. Hemp products would be better for Thai Air Quality & environment over-all, then all the plastic bags wasted into the land !!

[Guitar God]

Every study I've read showed that smoking pot and driving was much safer than drinking and driving. Some studies even showed there was no increased risk for accidents because stoned drivers drive slower and more carefully.

Criminalizing cannabis because you shouldn't drive after using it isn't a good enough reason. People shouldn't drive if they're not able to do so safely. That includes pot, booze, prescription drugs, not enough sleep etc.

Alcohol and other drug use goes down in places where pot is legal or tolerated. There would be less drunks on the road if the same thing happened in Thailand.

Pot has been legal in CO for over a year and I haven't even heard conservative prohibitionists try to claim it's causing more road accidents and the state accident rate data doesn't show any increase.

"Highway fatalities in Colorado are at near-historic lows since marijuana legalization. "

http://www.medicaldaily.com/did-marijuana-legalization-lower-car-accident-deaths-colorado-state-sees-historic-lows-296886

If the government made corn, bad grammar or flip flops illegal the crime stats would go up. Decriminalizing kratom or cannabis results in less crime not only because people are no longer being arrested for things that shouldn't have been illegal anyway.

Violent crime in Colorado has decreased , so have OD deaths from legal prescription narcotics.

There are good reasons murder, theft, rape and assault are illegal. There are no good reasons cannabis is illegal and Colorado and Washington state are the proof.

Cannabis was prohibited in the U.S. In the 30's for racist reasons and bribes and pressure from companies who profited big by its prohibition.

And Thailand has to content with not only drunk driving, but driving while high on drugs?

[trogers]

Every study I've read showed that smoking pot and driving was much safer than drinking and driving. Some studies even showed there was no increased risk for accidents because stoned drivers drive slower and more carefully.

Criminalizing cannabis because you shouldn't drive after using it isn't a good enough reason. People shouldn't drive if they're not able to do so safely. That includes pot, booze, prescription drugs, not enough sleep etc.

Alcohol and other drug use goes down in places where pot is legal or tolerated. There would be less drunks on the road if the same thing happened in Thailand.

Pot has been legal in CO for over a year and I haven't even heard conservative prohibitionists try to claim it's causing more road accidents and the state accident rate data doesn't show any increase.

"Highway fatalities in Colorado are at near-historic lows since marijuana legalization. "

http://www.medicaldaily.com/did-marijuana-legalization-lower-car-accident-deaths-colorado-state-sees-historic-lows-296886

If the government made corn, bad grammar or flip flops illegal the crime stats would go up. Decriminalizing kratom or cannabis results in less crime not only because people are no longer being arrested for things that shouldn't have been illegal anyway.

Violent crime in Colorado has decreased , so have OD deaths from legal prescription narcotics.

There are good reasons murder, theft, rape and assault are illegal. There are no good reasons cannabis is illegal and Colorado and Washington state are the proof.

Cannabis was prohibited in the U.S. In the 30's for racist reasons and bribes and pressure from companies who profited big by its prohibition.

And Thailand has to content with not only drunk driving, but driving while high on drugs?

I would believe stats of Colorado applies here when I see people there rub trees for lottery numbers.

[Guitar God]

I don't think superstition has any effect on physiology.

[trogers]

I don't think superstition has any effect on physiology.

Most things that happen here are from undisciplined minds and uncontrolled emotions. Little to do with body makeup.

[Guitar God]

If cannabis is a substitute for alcohol then there'd be less alcohol related uncontrolled emotions.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Guitar God

[MZurf]

It would be far better to legalize Pot, reason being two fold it would give rice farmers another income, by licensing the rice farmer fees collected and tax on pot could go to treatment of more serious drug use. Also it could help train The royal Thai police to be better at there job of enforcing laws. It is a shame that you can kill a police officer and get bail and travel the world at will if your rich. Yet same crime and poor you would not be on the streets for years awaiting trial. You can rob the country blind and still have valid passport to travel and thumb your nose at the government.

It's also good for the tourism industry. Pot tourism has boomed in Colorado, Oregon and Washington where pot has been legalized.

It would be a boon for the Thai tourism industry if pot was legalized. What better way to chill than firing up a doobie on the hotel balcony after a long, hard day of being scammed..

[wowfactor10]

Yes better legalise the lot...

Another thing what i do not like in Thailand is that police fines are not set...

I can get a ticket for going through a red light for 400 bht,then the next week with another cop it can be 1000 bht...

Why there is no printed list with all the fines clearly indicated..

Seems now the price depends on how rich/poor u come across

[northernjohn]

I think you meant that the unemployment rate in Colorado is improving, not increasing. It was 5% in 2014 and 4% now and still going down.

The first result in a Google search for "Colorado unemployment rate" will bring up that graph.

My thoughts on laws are they need to meet the test , are these laws producing the desired result? i.e. If the desired outcome is reduced use or reduced harm, if the laws are not having the desired effect, or are exacerbating the problem then they need to be reviewed and revised.

In Portugal, The Netherlands and both states in the U.S. where soft drugs were decriminalized experienced a reduction in use, especially by minors and less costs to society. Both in money and human terms.

Legalization in Colorado is the best thing that happened to the state since mountains and snow.

It would be far better to legalize Pot, reason being two fold it would give rice farmers another income, by licensing the rice farmer fees collected and tax on pot could go to treatment of more serious drug use. Also it could help train The royal Thai police to be better at there job of enforcing laws. It is a shame that you can kill a police officer and get bail and travel the world at will if your rich. Yet same crime and poor you would not be on the streets for years awaiting trial. You can rob the country blind and still have valid passport to travel and thumb your nose at the government.

It's also good for the tourism industry. Pot tourism has boomed in Colorado, Oregon and Washington where pot has been legalized.

Pot is not an issue in Thailand. Legalizing it in Colorado has brought a rise in their unemployment rate. Thailand like any other country in the world should look at the success Portugal has had with their drug problem. They still have a problem but it is nothing compared to other countries.

Thailand could take a page out of the experience in the states. There was a time not so long ago when possession of one joint could get you 5 years in jail. They in the states have the highest Per Capita rate of people in jail in the world.

One other big detail this article omitted is that a lot of what the Thai Government has considered drug treatment consisted of a stint in jail. I am not up on the current status but I do know that some place in the last year they were talking about revamping their drug treatment system and dropping the jail time. Like I say I am not up on where they are with that.

I am not a Thai Basher or naive. I do not expect it to happen over night. Also there is only at the present 3 states out of 50 and they all have stringent controls on the distribution. To the best of my knowledge the only country where it was a tourist draw was the Netherlands and it is my understanding they have tightened laws up a little bit there along with a lax enforcement of them. LOL sound familiar.

The reason it went up was because so many people thought it was going to create a lot more jobs than it did. I don't know where they are now. It may have stabilized now. I don't keep up with it. Portugal has made big inroads with the heavier drugs also.

[Pi Sek]

If the government made corn, bad grammar or flip flops illegal the crime stats would go up. Decriminalizing kratom or cannabis results in less crime not only because people are no longer being arrested for things that shouldn't have been illegal anyway.

Violent crime in Colorado has decreased , so have OD deaths from legal prescription narcotics.

There are good reasons murder, theft, rape and assault are illegal. There are no good reasons cannabis is illegal and Colorado and Washington state are the proof.

Cannabis was prohibited in the U.S. In the 30's for racist reasons and bribes and pressure from companies who profited big by its prohibition.

And Thailand has to content with not only drunk driving, but driving while high on drugs?

Erm... they already are. Often on meth, too, which is one of those drugs they're saying should stay classified as is.

[Torrens54]

If you do the crime, you Do The Time.

Indonesia has the right attitude, ensures these low life creatures will never again sell their filthy products to kids.

[PaPiPuPePo]

In the few countries that all drugs have been legalised, the crime rate dropped more than half. The prisons emptied. In fact drug addiction goes down. With accessible treatment centers, people choose to stop taking drugs all by themselves. After they get through their addiction,former addicts are know to be hard workers and dedicated family carers. The drug war has been failing for years. Time to try something different.

When rape, killing and robbery/theft are legalised, crime rates would fall by more than 80% too.

You're drawing a false equivalence between two absolutely heinous crimes perpetrated on innocent victims and drug use which causes in sum almost exclusively self-harm, and when it affects others does so, even with hard drugs, less than alcohol. Marijuana is over all less harmful and dangerous than alcohol.

Considering your call to have any one who uses drugs (and that would mean alcohol as well though something tells me you'd give that a pass) to be given the death penalty, I shudder to think what kind of other hateful nonsense fills your 5000+ posts. Real class act.

[Andreas2]

I guess that most of the people here would answer to the question "Who owns you" with a staunch "I, of course!"

By putting whatever substances into his own body, a person doesn't violate or threaten anybody else's property rights, which of course includes their own bodies.

Now, if a person does something with his own body, even if I would never do it to myself (e. g. pink coloured hair, breast implants , tattooed forehead, use of heroin,...), that doesn't authorize me - nor anybody else - to initiate or threaten violence against this person.
If you are unsettled by this principle, then please answer the initial question for yourself again.

Just to be clear, I do not advocate drunk driving etc. That's not the point.


PS: Everything said also includes women, of course.

[timendres]

In the few countries that all drugs have been legalised, the crime rate dropped more than half. The prisons emptied. In fact drug addiction goes down. With accessible treatment centers, people choose to stop taking drugs all by themselves. After they get through their addiction,former addicts are know to be hard workers and dedicated family carers. The drug war has been failing for years. Time to try something different.

When drug use is characterized as criminal, people are less inclined to get help with their addiction. When it is characterized as a weakness, people are much more inclined to seek help when they need it. If the lesser drugs are legal, they can be properly taxed like tobacco and alcohol, and those taxes can be used to fund treatment centers and education programs. More money to treat those who fall into the trap, less burden for the police and legal system. Win win.

For the more dangerous drugs, use should not be punished with prison. It should require mandatory placement in one of the clinics funded by the above taxes.

With most drugs legalized, and sold by properly licensed dealers, the money flowing to the criminals is greatly reduced, diminishing their power. The police have more time and resources to focus on arresting these folks.

All too logical for politicians to grasp.

[LuckyLew]

It would be far better to legalize Pot, reason being two fold it would give rice farmers another income, by licensing the rice farmer fees collected and tax on pot could go to treatment of more serious drug use. Also it could help train The royal Thai police to be better at there job of enforcing laws. It is a shame that you can kill a police officer and get bail and travel the world at will if your rich. Yet same crime and poor you would not be on the streets for years awaiting trial. You can rob the country blind and still have valid passport to travel and thumb your nose at the government.

Thailand is not ready for legalized pot

They cannot handle alcohol, just imagine the carnage if you added legal pot to the mix

No thanks

[Dannyboy666]

It would be far better to legalize Pot, reason being two fold it would give rice farmers another income, by licensing the rice farmer fees collected and tax on pot could go to treatment of more serious drug use. Also it could help train The royal Thai police to be better at there job of enforcing laws. It is a shame that you can kill a police officer and get bail and travel the world at will if your rich. Yet same crime and poor you would not be on the streets for years awaiting trial. You can rob the country blind and still have valid passport to travel and thumb your nose at the government.

Thailand is not ready for legalized pot

They cannot handle alcohol, just imagine the carnage if you added legal pot to the mix

No thanks

. Carnage, What Era Are You From, ( draconian one) ??? I was thinking it might stop the Thais from pulling a knife out or an extra boot to the head, Because They Forgot...

[trogers]

In the few countries that all drugs have been legalised, the crime rate dropped more than half. The prisons emptied. In fact drug addiction goes down. With accessible treatment centers, people choose to stop taking drugs all by themselves. After they get through their addiction,former addicts are know to be hard workers and dedicated family carers. The drug war has been failing for years. Time to try something different.

When drug use is characterized as criminal, people are less inclined to get help with their addiction. When it is characterized as a weakness, people are much more inclined to seek help when they need it. If the lesser drugs are legal, they can be properly taxed like tobacco and alcohol, and those taxes can be used to fund treatment centers and education programs. More money to treat those who fall into the trap, less burden for the police and legal system. Win win.

For the more dangerous drugs, use should not be punished with prison. It should require mandatory placement in one of the clinics funded by the above taxes.

With most drugs legalized, and sold by properly licensed dealers, the money flowing to the criminals is greatly reduced, diminishing their power. The police have more time and resources to focus on arresting these folks.

All too logical for politicians to grasp.

Smoke addicts started with the first stick. Drug addicts start with the first puff of weed.

Let's install coin dispensers at every school.

[someonelovesyou]

In the few countries that all drugs have been legalised, the crime rate dropped more than half. The prisons emptied. In fact drug addiction goes down. With accessible treatment centers, people choose to stop taking drugs all by themselves. After they get through their addiction,former addicts are know to be hard workers and dedicated family carers. The drug war has been failing for years. Time to try something different.

When drug use is characterized as criminal, people are less inclined to get help with their addiction. When it is characterized as a weakness, people are much more inclined to seek help when they need it. If the lesser drugs are legal, they can be properly taxed like tobacco and alcohol, and those taxes can be used to fund treatment centers and education programs. More money to treat those who fall into the trap, less burden for the police and legal system. Win win.

For the more dangerous drugs, use should not be punished with prison. It should require mandatory placement in one of the clinics funded by the above taxes.

With most drugs legalized, and sold by properly licensed dealers, the money flowing to the criminals is greatly reduced, diminishing their power. The police have more time and resources to focus on arresting these folks.

All too logical for politicians to grasp.

Smoke addicts started with the first stick. Drug addicts start with the first puff of weed.

Let's install coin dispensers at every school.

That's not even remotely true.

Most meth addicts in Thailand started with "the first glass of alcohol" and then moved onto becoming a meth addict and many would never have even tried weed.

Of course if you take statistics from a country where marijuana is the most popular drug after nicotine and alcohol, then exclude these 2 drugs, then marijuana is the most used 1st drug. That's just maths, it means nothing.

[kaorop]

If the money spent on enforcement and incarceration were spent on treatments and rehab there would be far less problems.

It really is that simple, it wont fix the problem 100%, nothing will, but its better than the current BS which leads to.

Many here seem to think doing the same thing over and over and still failing (teh war on drugs) is the right thing to do,

when really it shows severe in-capacities to progress.