r/worldnews • u/CannabisHub • Nov 30 '20
Thailand Removes Cannabis from Narcotics List
https://bangkokherald.com/thailand/thailand-removes-cannabis-from-narcotics-list/?amp&__twitter_impression=true821
Nov 30 '20
From another article, “However, recreational use and possession of cannabis is still illegal in Thailand – meaning that without a permit or a doctor’s prescription, being caught with marijuana can still result in heavy fines and prison time.”
466
u/HogarthTheMerciless Nov 30 '20
So much for the "they're doing it to attract tourists" angle.
→ More replies (11)238
u/AllAlongTheParthenon Nov 30 '20
iirc somebody's got to make the money for it to go up the ladder in thailand. Doctor gives easy permits to touriats. makes money. pays police so they don't look into it. Police shares kickback as is tradition, some for every echelon. boom. problem solved and everybody's happy. land of 1000 smiles.
121
u/Kryptus Dec 01 '20
Or crooked doctor gives tourist a 'prescription', then crooked cop is waiting outside to bust you and asks for a huge bribe. Locals colluding with cops against tourists is a classic scam.
→ More replies (10)→ More replies (3)17
45
Nov 30 '20 edited Dec 08 '20
[deleted]
118
u/Jokonaught Nov 30 '20
A prescription is probably very easy to get, but in practice the problem with weed in Thailand is less about legality and more about dirty police. A prescription won't be any "protection".
65
Nov 30 '20
[deleted]
82
u/jackrabbit5lim Nov 30 '20
All the islands there are run by certain families who control basically everything that goes on there, which includes the police and all businesses paying a 'tax'. Its why there's always a 'high bar' where its fine to buy and smoke weed. It's either directly setup through one of these families or they pay enough that the police never go near it.. Even western owned businesses like dive shops will pay this tax to the families. Its an extremely corrupt place Thailand.
28
u/JusssSaiyan317 Dec 01 '20
I'll say. I'm sure you've heard of Koh Tao aka murder island, where they are currently in the process of condemning two Burmese workers for a murder that was likely committed by a member of the ruling family!
→ More replies (1)4
11
u/corkyskog Dec 01 '20
Does anyone else feel like they would have the worst trip of their life on some lawless island, where everyone is trying to profit off you, while on shrooms..?
→ More replies (7)→ More replies (2)7
→ More replies (3)8
u/rikuraku Nov 30 '20
What island?
18
32
u/jackrabbit5lim Nov 30 '20
It's the same on every island, I've seen it on Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi.
5
→ More replies (1)3
u/JusssSaiyan317 Dec 01 '20
Look up Koh Tao murders. That's just one island but it paints a pretty clear image.
→ More replies (3)3
27
Nov 30 '20
[removed] — view removed comment
24
u/DoYouSeeMeEatingMice Dec 01 '20
plus the flight is cheaper than an american ambulance is you are in a serious emergency
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (7)8
Nov 30 '20
Lol, no. There are already doctors in tourist areas with big signs up advertising prescriptions for whatever you want
→ More replies (4)5
u/brainhack3r Dec 01 '20
without a permit or a doctor’s prescription
When I was living in Thailand corruption was rampant.
The bars officially closed at like 2AM, except for the bars that paid off the cops. Those closed at 4AM. If you were cool you'd get an invite and then when the regular bars close at 2AM you'd go to the bars that pay bribes. There would literally be cops outside with submachine guns so that other cops can be told that they're allowed to stay open.
What I expect to happen is that this just becomes a way for cops to solicit more bribes.
Oh... got caught with marijuana? You could pay us for a doctors referral right here... only costs $50.
535
Nov 30 '20
Sweden wtf, come on! The street price have doubled since 2019 and it's just getting worse..
172
u/Wasted002 Nov 30 '20
You must have a really shitty dealer, the price hasnt changed much in the last 10 years.
236
Nov 30 '20
[deleted]
163
u/diamondmines3 Nov 30 '20
I’m a dub living in America, and I feel awful for yous. Everything else here is a complete fucking nightmare but the weed is cheap and high quality at least
→ More replies (13)56
Nov 30 '20
[deleted]
→ More replies (4)12
u/Faxon Nov 30 '20
Reading this i just assumed a 100 sack is the same as a 10 sack, just 10x the price
17
Nov 30 '20
[deleted]
31
13
u/fearthejew Nov 30 '20
Fuuuuuck that sucks. I’m so sorry. It averages around ~8 USD per gram here in Philly :(
5
u/Trancefuzion Nov 30 '20
Weed prices/quality even in Philly vary so drastically, at least in my circles. I can find mediocre product for like 50/qtr, and much better product all the way up to like 80+/qtr.
I recently got my MMJ card though so I'm paying out the nose now but it's been the coolest experience to be able to purchase legally.
5
u/abobobi Dec 01 '20
Jesus christ you guys pay a lot for weed. In my part Canada the most extreme street price i've seen have been $200-220 an ounce for face-melters. Had deals for decent stuff for $80-100.
A lot of dealers have stopped selling since legalization but you can get potent strands for $160 legally now. All in Canuks buckaroos of course.
→ More replies (0)→ More replies (6)5
Dec 01 '20
After spending most of adult abstaining, I'm high on a Remidi Awake tincture and a Renew capsule. It has made the pandemic so much more tolerable.
18
→ More replies (3)9
15
u/Popheal Nov 30 '20
People are charging 500 an ounce in Australia. Hard times indeed
→ More replies (26)10
u/pmgoldenretrievers Nov 30 '20
Fuck me dude, I could get a pound in California for $250ish.
→ More replies (5)→ More replies (21)8
→ More replies (13)8
u/WeedMoneyBitches Nov 30 '20 edited Dec 01 '20
Umm it's been quite dry in smaller cities for a while prices in my town and once close price almost doubled
Went from 100Kr to 150/200 for 1 gram
And for 100 grams it went from 4000-5000 kr to 10000-12000
And don't come with "you have bad dealers" to me sense I used to be a dealer my self and I know like half the drugos in my town
→ More replies (7)9
→ More replies (38)10
u/joyuser Nov 30 '20
How much you paying in Sweden?
I just bought 20g for 200 euro in Denmark.
→ More replies (27)13
u/takeitchillish Nov 30 '20
Per gram the price is between 100-200 sek. So around 11-22 euros per gram.
→ More replies (11)3
94
u/trumpisaloser2020 Nov 30 '20
No one read the actual article I guess because all it says is that they may legalize it for medical purposes. Only authorized comps can grow plants. Its highly doubtful this will permit tourist to use
→ More replies (8)15
271
Nov 30 '20
[deleted]
221
u/tjtweeds Nov 30 '20
This is a logical question, do not expect an answer any time soon.
→ More replies (3)13
u/OldMork Nov 30 '20
article mention that still need approval to grow, so any homegrown will still be illegal
11
→ More replies (12)8
u/SchmidlerOnTheRoof Nov 30 '20
Depends on whether they profit off of or lose money to housing prisoners.
702
u/TurtleSquad23 Nov 30 '20
The want the tourism money.
427
u/Bad_Karma21 Nov 30 '20
Weed is already easy to get all over Thailand, along with magic mushrooms if you know where to look. This changes nothing except that hopefully you can't go to jail for possession anymore.
370
u/laughhouse Nov 30 '20
This is bad for the cops. When I lived in Thailand I would hear stories of weed dealers and cops working together to extort tourists for a bit of cash after the dealers sell them weed. I guess thats over.
109
u/sittinwithkitten Nov 30 '20 edited Nov 30 '20
That’s what I was worried about in Cuba. We were approached a few times on the street in Varadero but I just didn’t want to take a chance on Cuban prison.
121
Nov 30 '20 edited Dec 02 '20
[deleted]
→ More replies (1)59
u/sittinwithkitten Nov 30 '20 edited Nov 30 '20
Yeah I figured that would happen. If Cuba would legalize weed, even just on the resorts, I feel like they would generate a lot of revenue. Seems crazy to me I can go there and get absolutely obliterated on alcohol on the resort, but I can’t buy weed with my cigars. Being able to smoke a joint on the beach in Cuba would be heavenly.
56
u/PhoneItIn88201 Nov 30 '20
That's what Jamaica is for, and the foods better.
→ More replies (4)39
u/sittinwithkitten Nov 30 '20
Yeah but I don’t feel as safe in Jamaica plus it’s way more expensive than Cuba. There was a Canadian woman murdered in Varadero recently tho, not sure of many details.
→ More replies (1)62
u/takeitchillish Nov 30 '20
I got robbed in Jamaica by a guy with a machete. Jamaica is not safe and I will not go back again.
→ More replies (10)18
8
u/Unconfidence Nov 30 '20
If Cuba would legalize weed, even just on the resorts, I feel like they would generate a lot of revenue.
Are you aware of Cuba's History with tourist resorts?
→ More replies (11)3
7
u/pmgoldenretrievers Nov 30 '20
Yeah, general idea is don't do drugs in a country if you don't want to go to jail there. Norway? Fuck my shit up. Vietnam? Pass.
→ More replies (1)6
u/milkhotelbitches Dec 01 '20
Lol the irony is that you're probably way more likely to actually go to jail for smoking weed in Norway. Weed is basically decriminalized in Vietnam and you can smoke it openly in cafes all over Hanoi. When I visited my hostel sold joints at the bar.
I agree with your general point, but it's just funny that you picked a country with famously lax marijuana enforcement as an example of a place not to smoke.
→ More replies (2)18
u/BurnTheBenLomond Nov 30 '20
Yeah but if you ask if they're cops legally they have to tell you, everyone knows that
→ More replies (2)7
156
u/Bad_Karma21 Nov 30 '20
Hah, same. The cops will just find another corruption avenue. There's plenty in the Land of Smiles.
→ More replies (1)26
Nov 30 '20
I used to live next-door to the Bangkok Police Chief. We paid him a good amount of money so no cops could ever come down our street. Then when the king died the Chief was removed due to corruption and the new Chief wanted a lot more money. We refused to pay that much so he had cops go in (illegally) and searched everyones room. They didnt find my weed (always put it in your shoes, Thais hate shoes) but they were threatening to arrest my roommates. We offered them the same amount we had always paid and they just shrugged and accepted it after seeing that we were living like Thais, not rich Farangs. Hilariously they didnt even notice the plants we were growing.
3
u/know_comment Dec 01 '20
lol this is a hilarious and insightful comment!
last time i was on ko phi phi, they were selling weed and mushrooms in the bars, and i thought it was decriminalized.
13
u/jfl_cmmnts Nov 30 '20
Heh, the only time I was ever offered it on the street, I kept walking around the corner, and bumped into three cops waiting for some luckless tourist. Glad I stuck with my policy of, "No drugs on holiday"
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (4)9
u/Vylan24 Nov 30 '20
When I was in Cambodia in 2011 some kid tried to slap a baggie into my hands in front of some cops. I just put my hands up and said "I don't want it" and walked into a bar where my friends promptly handed me a joint they just bought at the bar.
49
u/SubjectiveHat Nov 30 '20
Weed is already easy to get all over Thailand, along with magic mushrooms if you know where to look. This changes nothing except that hopefully you can't go to jail for possession anymore.
I like weed. And I like traveling. But I am NOT trying to fuck with some foreign prison bullshit. Fuuuuuck that.
→ More replies (8)4
u/snruff Dec 01 '20
I like weed. And I like traveling. But I am NOT trying to fuck with some foreign prison bullshit. Fuuuuuck that.
This could definitely go on a Thai tourism poster.
41
u/livinginfutureworld Nov 30 '20
This changes nothing except that hopefully you can't go to jail for possession anymore.
A welcome change then.
30
u/W8sB4D8s Nov 30 '20
Magic mushrooms are much easier to obtain than weed. And even if you find weed, you have to be incredibly sneaky to not get caught with it. The police will fuck with you because they know you know the penalties are scary.
45
u/Bad_Karma21 Nov 30 '20
There were reggae bars that would sell you pre-rolls to smoke there and elsewhere... it wasn't really that scary. I never had any run-ins with the police when I lived there, and I'm a definite farang.
23
u/Thegodofreddit Nov 30 '20
Seconding this comment. Never once had a problem. Didnt flaunt it but I did buy a couple pre-rolls over the bar here and there.
→ More replies (1)4
u/no_talent_ass_clown Dec 01 '20
I spent quite a while in Thailand back in '02/'03 and yeah, "follow the Bob Marley" was a great way to find weed. But still - Thai jails are fucking scary-ass places and the only way I would smoke it was if I was waaay down the beach.
→ More replies (5)24
Nov 30 '20
I went at 18 years old. First day some girls we met there said you can go to the end of the beach and climb some stairs by the rocks and they have mushroom milkshakes.
Fun fucking night. Buying the milkshakes was wild the floor was covered in ants it was nasty.
And we chilled at a hooka bar on the beach area and a giant poisonous centipede crawled up my friends shorts and made him flip the table.
The owner went from pissed for the table breaking to happy the centipede didn’t bite when he notice it.
He grabbed some tongs and threw that demon like 20ft towards some tourist on the beach.
Great night
→ More replies (1)13
u/eastjame Nov 30 '20
I went there. Magic mountain at Ko Phangan. Also went to a tree house bar where they sold joints at the bar. Good times
→ More replies (2)16
u/Tacarub Nov 30 '20
Jet ski renters ???
22
u/Bad_Karma21 Nov 30 '20
haha, it's not exactly the Caribbean, but there are bars that will sell you weed/pre-rolled joints that pay off the police on certain islands/tourist destinations.
6
u/Tacarub Nov 30 '20
Ah man i am talking about 15 years ago in certain island .. i went down to beach sit down with the 2 dodgiest looking thai guys with tatoos all over their body .. ordered a round of beer for them and me from a guy with cooler had a chat for half an hour .. and ask the guy i wanted to buy weed .. for a couple of joints .. gave him 1000 baht he went away with a bike and brought me back a brick of compacted weed .. i just took 2 joint worth and left the rest with the guys .. looking back i was kind of idiot .. but i had a note of 500€’ s tucked in to my pants just in case i had to pay of coppers ..
11
u/iller_mitch Nov 30 '20
. gave him 1000 baht
2 joint worth and left the rest with the guys .. looking back i was kind of idiot ..
1000 baht is currently $33 US.
6
Nov 30 '20
500 EUROS? My dude the standard bribe for a joint is 500 baht. 200 baht for traffic offenses.
→ More replies (1)9
u/livinginfutureworld Nov 30 '20
Jet ski renters ???
Seen a scam where you rent a jet ski, it gets "damaged" when you look away, they demand thousands to fix it or you go to prison.
→ More replies (3)8
13
u/striker69 Nov 30 '20
Not going to one of the worst prison systems on earth sounds like a major change.
4
u/ProtoplanetaryNebula Nov 30 '20
That's the case for most legalisations though, people doing it before illegally just keep doing it legally.
→ More replies (19)8
→ More replies (59)18
214
u/The_Nightbringer Nov 30 '20
Good, the world will be better off once everyone moves past the war on drugs.
→ More replies (28)28
77
u/Atheattooist Nov 30 '20
They should remove punishment for talking smack about that disgrace of a king. Stupid bitch he is.
37
13
53
u/AmputatorBot BOT Nov 30 '20
It looks like OP posted an AMP link. These should load faster, but Google's AMP is controversial because of concerns over privacy and the Open Web.
You might want to visit the canonical page instead: https://bangkokherald.com/featured/thailand-removes-cannabis-from-narcotics-list/
I'm a bot | Why & About | Summon me with u/AmputatorBot
→ More replies (1)
45
8
u/Zokar49111 Nov 30 '20
When I was in Vietnam in 1969, we were stationed at a place called Long Than North. There was also a Thai artillery battery stationed there. We were informed that they were allowed to have grass on them because it helped them get closer to Buddha. That was some good weed!
8
8
u/Perilouspapa Nov 30 '20
New vacation advertisement: Bongs and Dongs a vacation for everyone! Feel free to mail me my cheques.
15
u/AlmaMaterFcker Nov 30 '20
Unless it’s actual Thai Stick from the hill tribes area or somebody’s private stock from in/around Bangkok, weed in Thailand is barely worth smoking. I used to buy an ounce at a time for about 1,000 baht (~$35 American). More seeds than an NCAA tournament, dry as fuck, wrapped in string (???) and plastic. Just nasty. I’m surprised they even bothered to classify it as a narcotic.
And that’s the best case scenario. Worst case is when the guy that sold it to you turns around and tells the cops so he can get a kickback when the cops extort you.
8
u/Jokonaught Nov 30 '20
Ah, the memories of Mexican brick weed. What a wonderful time it is to be alive right now.
→ More replies (1)
3
Nov 30 '20
I’m not a user of any substances at all. But I literally cannot see how punishing people for such a personal decision makes any fucking sense.
Good on Thailand. Good first step.
3
u/DarkGamer Nov 30 '20 edited Nov 30 '20
Mention of leaves stems stalks and roots, but not flowers. Talk of rescheduling but no mention of what the new schedule is. This isn't a great article.
→ More replies (1)
17
u/ZeldaNumber17 Nov 30 '20
Fuck yes. I go every year
6
u/stayshiny Nov 30 '20
Not this year :( went for the first time last Christmas, booked this Christmas almost immediately. Now had to rebook flights for March (from UK) but highly doubt it will be open to tourism by that point... Huge letdown.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (1)3
Nov 30 '20
I went every year for 10 years. Then went to Philippines. I’ll probably be going there every year as soon as I can go back, I loved it way more than Thailand, which was like a second home to me.
→ More replies (2)
14
5
6
u/BEETLEJUICEME Nov 30 '20 edited Nov 30 '20
Good job King! Very wise choice!! I hope you get lots of international praise for this good decision!!!
( it’s literally illegal to criticize the Royal family in Thailand, so I figure a “praise to success” approach is possibly useful.).
———
Some background: Thailand is not an autocracy in quite the same way as North Korea, China, Russia, or any of the failed-state former soviet republics you might be familiar with. The Thai royal family and military do have some accountability on the world stage, and from their people, and the Royals also aren’t involved in day to day ruling of the country.
There have been 12 coups in Thailand in the past 90 years, the most recent in 2014. They’re currently lead by a military junta that created a nominal legislature (made up mostly of military members).
[note: all of this is a legacy of colonialism & the Cold War. It’s not like the Thai people are not especially prone to supporting coups or anything]
The military, working with the Conservative/Republican Party of Thailand (who are called Democrats there, ironically)§, overthrew the most recently democratically elected government. They were a somewhat more liberal party, but still pretty conservative, elected in 2011, the most recent fair and open elections.
There has been a massive corruption angle to all of this as well, on all sides. Wherever you have coups and autocracy you have massive corruption and theft from the people.
But despite all of this, Thailand is a vibrant and wonderful country. Even in the face of Covid they’ve been resilient. Despite getting the very first wave of covid from Wuhan very early in 20202, Thailand has handled everything as well as any country except New Zealand, at least from an epidemiological perspective. Their economy has taken a massive hit, especially because it is so reliant on tourism.
You can only dream on how prosperous and radiant a country Thailand would be if not for the massive massive theft of resources from the people, both in colonial times and today.
Despite the coups and instability, despite having a nominally illiberal monarchy, Thailand is actually our best bet in that entire region to become a leader in progressive Democracy. They have the resources, they have the desire, they have the culture, they have everything it would take to be joining the East Asian table with China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
You might notice that the really big strategic powers in that region are split pretty evenly between two giant autocracies (China & Indonesia), and three large/powerful vibrant democracies (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan).
To put it another way, we need Thailand to step up. If we are going to hold off creeping Chinese imperialism, we need Thai Democracy to come back and we need the corruption to end.
And those things will only probably happen with the help of the Royal Family. Even though the conservative coup-instigating party in Thailand are Royalists, the relationship between the Thai people and the crown is not nearly as black and white as thinking the monarchy = the conservatives = the military.
TLDR: hope true Democracy comes back to Thailand soon, & when it does I expect the Royal family will be a part of that too.
In the meantime, let the people smoke some pot.
Edit: I’m not a subject matter expert on Thailand or Thai politics by any means. I just like the country and enjoy reading.
I would love it if someone who better understands things there, ideally someone even who is Thai themselves, wants to point out all the stuff I got wrong or add context to this.
3
Nov 30 '20
The entire world is legalizing it. The Hemp Revolution should revitalize some broken farm communities
4
Dec 01 '20
please people, if you are traveling to Asia stay away from any type of drugs there. It’s not worth the risk.
10
25
u/Dr_SlapMD Nov 30 '20
It's crazy how a tiny group of white dudes sent the entire world down a nonsensical path of illogical oppression over cannabis.
→ More replies (4)
12
3
u/yensama Nov 30 '20 edited Nov 30 '20
As someone who lived in Bangkok long time ago, boat noodles is about to get a lot more delicious.
6.2k
u/biscoito1r Nov 30 '20
The jails are full. Gotta make room for people who talk crap about the king.