Regarding drug laws in Thailand.

[Lukecan]

Guys, I have a quick question. My friend wants to visit Thailand for the full moon party this year, but he smokes pot regularly, consuming pot is legal in his country, he is from Portugal.

Anyway, lets say he got stopped and was ordered to take a piss test, and he tested positive. What would happen to him? He does not intend to break any laws when he is in Thailand. I told him to stay the <deleted> away from Thailand for this reason and party in another instead, but I dont know the laws very well, so no harm in asking here.

Thanks in advance for the replies!

[kannot]

He can probably pay his way out, if he wants to do it make sure he brings plenty of "get out of jail" free cards with him............but again really he'd be a pratt to do it.

[lopburi3]

wants to visit Thailand for the full moon party this year, but he smokes pot regularly

Your advise is spot on - and suspect you believe him about as much as I do.

[Lukecan]

He can probably pay his way out, if he wants to do it make sure he brings plenty of "get out of jail" free cards with him............but again really he'd be a pratt to do it.

Im not talking about doing it in Thailand, Im talking about doing it in Europe and coming to Thailand. Since it stays in the system for a month or so, what if they piss test him while he is at the airport randomly. Im wondering the consequence for this.

[HooHaa]

this is very much the wrong place to ask, filled with shrill curmudgeons who have no experience beyond a long standing bias against drugs and a lifestyle they dont understand.

your friend will have no issues at all unless he is a moron.

testing is VERY unlikely beyond the capital and currently not even there. However no test they would administer him would be searching for weed. they are generally looking for meth and derivatives. There is little to no risk.

there are plenty of pot smokers in the kingdom, many who have been here years without issue.

no smoking in public places is obvious, but more to the point is if he does decide to partake, not to buy off of random individuals, but to make friends with someone established.

certainly he should keep his wits about him in areas like haadrin.

[kannot]

this is very much the wrong place to ask, filled with shrill curmudgeons who have no experience beyond a long standing bias against drugs and a lifestyle they dont understand.

your friend will have no issues at all unless he is a moron.

testing is VERY unlikely beyond the capital and currently not even there. However no test they would administer him would be searching for weed. they are generally looking for meth and derivatives. There is little to no risk.

there are plenty of pot smokers in the kingdom, many who have been here years without issue.

no smoking in public places is obvious, but more to the point is if he does decide to partake, not to buy off of random individuals, but to make friends with someone established.

certainly he should keep his wits about him in areas like haadrin.

Rubbish , hed be an idiot to do it here, I have no opinion on Pot at all but to do it here is asking for trouble. Unlikely he will be tested on entering

[Toknarok]

If you test positive in Thailand no matter where you have consumed the drug you are deemed to be 'in possession' of that drug. If your friend abstains from smoking cannabis for a couple of weeks before he comes to Thailand he should be OK, if he can't I strongly advise him not to come here.

[HooHaa]

irrespective of anything else, the chances of him being tested are so minimal the are practically nil.

secondly, the tests administered are not for cannabis. so he would be unlikely to test positive.

to be so alarmist to say that he should make alternate holiday plans is laughable and not at all rooted in reality.

[Toknarok]

irrespective of anything else, the chances of him being tested are so minimal the are practically nil.

secondly, the tests administered are not for cannabis. so he would be unlikely to test positive.

to be so alarmist to say that he should make alternate holiday plans is laughable and not at all rooted in reality.

Are you sure that the tests are not for cannabis? I seem to recall a poster on here testing positive for cannabis after a urine test. When I worked on the mines in W. Aust. we were regularly drug tested (urine sample) and I can assure you that these tests DID show up cannabis users. They came in form of a card that was dropped into the urine sample, tested for opiates, amphetamines and cannabiloids. Cards changed colour if positive.

[AlexRRR]

Its very simple......In Thailand If your found with any drugs no matter how small you are GUILTY, then it can be a couple of years to a lifetime, one English program i saw a girl was found to have 1 joint on her , she claimed it was her boy friends, never the less she spent 6 months in a Thai prison and a number of court appearances before she was allowed to go home.

Full moon party would attract not only the dopes of the planet but half the Thai drug squad.

[Lukecan]

Its very simple......In Thailand If your found with any drugs no matter how small you are GUILTY, then it can be a couple of years to a lifetime, one English program i saw a girl was found to have 1 joint on her , she claimed it was her boy friends, never the less she spent 6 months in a Thai prison and a number of court appearances before she was allowed to go home.

Full moon party would attract not only the dopes of the planet but half the Thai drug squad.

Man that sucks. Thanks for the info.... Anyway as the topic suggests my friend definitely doesnt intend to break any laws while in Thailand, pot poession is legal in his homeland. I made him aware of the danger of being summoned for a piss test. So if he tests positive in the piss test he is screwed even though he smoked it in Portugal.

Damn.

[Lukecan]

If you test positive in Thailand no matter where you have consumed the drug you are deemed to be 'in possession' of that drug. If your friend abstains from smoking cannabis for a couple of weeks before he comes to Thailand he should be OK, if he can't I strongly advise him not to come here.

Thanks for the heads up.

[HooHaa]

it is nonsense.

he will not be tested.

there is no reason to test him unless he does something very stupid and even then it is highly unlikely to come to anything.

there are hundreds of thousands of marijuana smokes who take thai vacations annually without issue, how could it be otherwise?

the responses here really are fantastical at best.

[Lukecan]

it is nonsense.

he will not be tested.

there is no reason to test him unless he does something very stupid and even then it is highly unlikely to come to anything.

there are hundreds of thousands of marijuana smokes who take thai vacations annually without issue, how could it be otherwise?

the responses here really are fantastical at best.

Most likely he wont be tested, but what if he is? We have to assume the worst case scenairo. For example he would stand up to someone trying to rip him off like the jet ski scammers , he will confront him, they both will end up in the police station. Police will take the thais side, they will try to dig dirt on the farang by summoning him for a piss test. He tests positive, they tell him to drop charges against the thai or he will face prosecution for possesing drugs.

Yes I made this scenairo up, but its not impossible.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Lukecan

[Lukecan]

No sane person would roam around Thailand with THC in his blood either.

Even 1% chance of spending 6 months in Hilton Bangkok is enough to avoid Thailand.

I dont think chance of being summoned to a piss test is that low either. You get in one trouble with someone and you will be done for. Once the cops are involved im pretty sure they will ask for your piss to dig some dirt.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Lukecan

[sunnyjim5]

"Drug" laws throughout the whole of SE Asia are draconian.

Anyone indulging in illegal drug use within the region risks, at the very least a huge fine and there is also the very real risk of being imprisoned.

"Don’t become involved with drugs of any kind. Possession of even very small quantities can lead to imprisonment. If you are found guilty of being in possession of marijuana you are likely to receive a long prison sentence and a heavy fine. If you’re found guilty of being in possession of 20 grams of a Class A drug at a point of exit from Thailand you risk receiving the death penalty. Amphetamines and ecstasy are regarded as Class A drugs and possession or trafficking carries the same penalty as heroin" **

** https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/local-laws-and-customs

[Kaalle]

How are the Thai police suppose to catch him if he is careful? They couldn't even catch a cold <deleted>...

[sunnyjim5]

How are the Thai police suppose to catch him if he is careful? They couldn't even catch a cold <deleted>...

There are many "careful" foreign drug users languishing in SE Asian prisons.

Those who choose to use illegal drugs in SE Asia should be aware of the risk they are taking

[ukrules]

If you test positive in Thailand no matter where you have consumed the drug you are deemed to be 'in possession' of that drug. If your friend abstains from smoking cannabis for a couple of weeks before he comes to Thailand he should be OK, if he can't I strongly advise him not to come here.

This is completely incorrect.

If you can prove a recent international flight is makes a big difference regardless of what they find when testing.

[sunnyjim5]

If you test positive in Thailand no matter where you have consumed the drug you are deemed to be 'in possession' of that drug. If your friend abstains from smoking cannabis for a couple of weeks before he comes to Thailand he should be OK, if he can't I strongly advise him not to come here.

This is completely incorrect.

If you can prove a recent international flight is makes a big difference regardless of what they find when testing.

On what basis do you make that claim ?

Any reliable reference sources which would support what you say ?

[ukrules]

If you test positive in Thailand no matter where you have consumed the drug you are deemed to be 'in possession' of that drug. If your friend abstains from smoking cannabis for a couple of weeks before he comes to Thailand he should be OK, if he can't I strongly advise him not to come here.

This is completely incorrect.

If you can prove a recent international flight is makes a big difference regardless of what they find when testing.

On what basis do you make that claim ?

Any reliable reference sources which would support what you say ?

I read it a few years ago on here when this exact same subject was discussed at length.

There is a regulation regarding recent foreign travel but I'm not going to waste my time looking it up as I'm not a pot smoker or a drug user so it's irrelevant to me.

It does exist though. So if you want the details, go find it. It's all on this forum somewhere. From memory I seem to recall that there's a 14 day limit after arrival in Thailand.

[sunnyjim5]

If you test positive in Thailand no matter where you have consumed the drug you are deemed to be 'in possession' of that drug. If your friend abstains from smoking cannabis for a couple of weeks before he comes to Thailand he should be OK, if he can't I strongly advise him not to come here.

This is completely incorrect.

If you can prove a recent international flight is makes a big difference regardless of what they find when testing.

On what basis do you make that claim ?

Any reliable reference sources which would support what you say ?

I read it a few years ago on here when this exact same subject was discussed at length.

There is a regulation regarding recent foreign travel but I'm not going to waste my time looking it up as I'm not a pot smoker or a drug user so it's irrelevant to me.

It does exist though. So if you want the details, go find it. It's all on this forum somewhere. From memory I seem to recall that there's a 14 day limit after arrival in Thailand.

I am sorry to say this but you should not be making statements about a potentially very serious offence without being prepared to reveal the source of your "knowledge"

I would urge anyone reading your post to disregard what you write.

[ukrules]

This is completely incorrect.

If you can prove a recent international flight is makes a big difference regardless of what they find when testing.

On what basis do you make that claim ?

Any reliable reference sources which would support what you say ?

I read it a few years ago on here when this exact same subject was discussed at length.

There is a regulation regarding recent foreign travel but I'm not going to waste my time looking it up as I'm not a pot smoker or a drug user so it's irrelevant to me.

It does exist though. So if you want the details, go find it. It's all on this forum somewhere. From memory I seem to recall that there's a 14 day limit after arrival in Thailand.

I am sorry to say this but you should not be making statements about a potentially very serious offence without being prepared to reveal the source of your "knowledge"

I would urge anyone reading your post to disregard what you write.

All I'm telling you is that I've definitely read and heard about this before when it was previously discussed.

If you want a definitive source for the law then go hire a lawyer.

[richard_smith237]

Firstly, IF your friend were to be 'drugs tested' in a club etc... then its highly likely that this drugs test is for amphetamine – This is the ‘pee-in-a-cup-test’ the Police usually submit club goers to on their various raids around the capital.

As such, its highly unlikely that your friend would fail any such test for smoking a substance which is legal in other countries.

(this next bit is just opinion) If your friend were to fail any test, I doubt (but I’m not sure) whether or not he could be charged if he can prove a recent international flight and is not in possession.

As others (and yourself, Op) have mentioned, ensure your friend stays well away from partaking. As debatable as the likelihood of getting caught is, the consequences of getting caught could be anywhere between a few hours of sphincter clenching concern to a great deal of inconvenience and cost to possible jail time.

[NickJ]

I'll bet the foreign devil listens to that rock n roll too!!!

[Kaalle]

How are the Thai police suppose to catch him if he is careful? They couldn't even catch a cold <deleted>...

There are many "careful" foreign drug users languishing in SE Asian prisons.

Those who choose to use illegal drugs in SE Asia should be aware of the risk they are taking

If u smoke in your own home and conceal the drugs well, when and if you are out and about I cant imagine any real risk. As oppose to a traffic incident or mugging, beating or any other number of "risks" when you venture out in Thailand.

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[alex88]

Possibly around half of the adult population in most Western countries smoke weed so you'd think it would come up pretty often if having it in your system was a huge problem in Thailand.

[HooHaa]

People are cancelling flights from Colorado and Amsterdam now.

After reading over the op's first post and his responses througout the conversation, I have to wonder if the OP's provincial understanding of the "risk" his friend is facing is a result of really not wanting him to come at all.

The whole discussion is truly ridiculous. It couldn't be better if it were satire.

[cyberfarang]

He can probably pay his way out, if he wants to do it make sure he brings plenty of "get out of jail" free cards with him............but again really he'd be a pratt to do it.

Im not talking about doing it in Thailand, Im talking about doing it in Europe and coming to Thailand. Since it stays in the system for a month or so, what if they piss test him while he is at the airport randomly. Im wondering the consequence for this.

If he tests positive for drugs then he will be charged for using illegal drugs according even if no drugs are found on him.

He should not visit Thailand until his system is clear of drugs. If he can`t do that then it`s up to chance. Not sure of the exact law but the penalties are harsh, that`s all you need to know.

[Sandy Freckle]

Ok.., many years ago I sometimes 'experimented' with weed - I swear I didn't inhale ;-).
Whatever.., even back then in my youth I knew damn well to watch my own back.., and not to 'indulge' whilst I travelled up in these parts !
Just travelling in a tropical S/E Asian country was intoxicating enough for me back then.
It was much, much easier to travel under the radar and on the down low back then...., and away from the larger population centres.
If your mate want's to 'rock n roll' when he comes to LOS, he'll obviously be taking his chances.
Wisdom usually comes with age.....,

Edited February 18, 2016 by Sandy Freckle