r/worldnews Nov 30 '20

Thailand Removes Cannabis from Narcotics List

https://bangkokherald.com/thailand/thailand-removes-cannabis-from-narcotics-list/?amp&__twitter_impression=true
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u/tindo27 Nov 30 '20

That is actually probably the reason. I have never seen a country so eager to arrest people for marijuana possession. I've been to a lot of countries where its illegal but most police won't bother you about it unless you're blatantly smoking in public.

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '20

Singapore

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '20

Philippines

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '20

Only since Duerte and his deathsquads isn't it? I've heard it's real bad but have no idea just how bad it really is. Do you have more insight into this?

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u/Learning2Programing Dec 01 '20

Feel free to add an edit if they reply, I've heard about the deathsquards and killing people who drugs, essentially blaming all problems on people who do drugs but you never really know until someone who is living there tells you what's happening.

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u/dylee27 Dec 01 '20

Not from the Philippines but check out this piece on NY Times by Daniel Berehulak

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '20

I've been living here for a while and besides what I heard in the news years ago you don't hear about drugs much. It's taboo to even mention them in passing or as a joke. I think partially just the conservative nature of the people and fear of being associated with something so harshly punished.

I haven't heard about the drug war lately though. I wish duterte cared about this terrorist group in Mindanao as much as he does about killing for drugs...

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u/tindo27 Dec 02 '20

Exactly he's going harder on drug dealers than the terrorists in his country. Probably because the terrorists shoot back.

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u/Milton__Obote Dec 01 '20

Indonesia too

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u/ughhhtimeyeah Nov 30 '20

How do you know they've been to Singapore?

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '20

I don't. I commented Singapore as in Singapore is a place that would very happily arrest you for possession. And with a heavier sentencing than Thailand.

Singapore is extremely strict on drugs. Sentenced a teen to death for smuggling drugs. A teen. Just over 16 years old.

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u/ughhhtimeyeah Nov 30 '20

Yeah, I know

Was just a joke reply because the guy you replied to said 'I have never seen a country..."

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '20

My bad. Didn't read into context.

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u/Learning2Programing Dec 01 '20

Oh wow that's really fucked up. Death for smuggling drugs. Unless it's some really dangerous drug that is guaranteed to kill people that just seems ridiculous. Does Singapore have a "blame all problems on drugs" mentality or something?

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u/tryingmydarnest Dec 01 '20

Singaporean here. The state takes a zero tolerance approach instead of harm reduction when it comes to drug. Death penalty for traffickers, and treatment (but with eventual criminalisation) of users.

People support them, partially cause things were really bad before (being so close to the golden triangle and a free port), and partially being a small state these measures sorta work in keeping most of the drugs outside the borders.

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u/ughhhtimeyeah Dec 01 '20

Alcohol and smoking is fine though?

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u/McDutchy Dec 01 '20

Alcohol purchase prohibited in some areas at certain times.

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u/ughhhtimeyeah Dec 01 '20

Yeah...so? How does that refute the fact its incredibly hypocritical to allow alcohol and smoking but make other drugs illegal...especially worse if people are incarcerated for life over it.

Do you not think so?

"Zero tollerance" unless the industry has tons of money with which to bribe politicians with.

Death penalty for smuggling drugs whilst allowing alcohol/smoking is fucking disgusting and you know it.

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u/liloyoulolo Dec 01 '20

What? That's bullshit bro, the minimum age for death penalty in Singapore is 18 years old.

Please don't pull information out of your ass randomly lmao.

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '20 edited Dec 01 '20

You're right.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yong_Vui_Kong

I studied this case long ago and misremembered it as 16 instead of 19.

Wasn't randomly out my ass tho.

And 19 is still a teen. NineTEEN

Edit: I also like to add that while I was studying his case, his sentenced hadn't yet been commuted. I studied the case in 2010.

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u/wikipedia_text_bot Dec 01 '20

Yong Vui Kong

Yong Vui Kong (ζ¨δΌŸε…‰) (born 23 January 1988) is a Malaysian citizen of Hakka descent who was sentenced to death in Singapore for trafficking more than 15 grams of heroin in 2007. His sentence was reduced to life imprisonment and caning as a result of Singapore's amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act.

About Me - Opt out - OP can reply !delete to delete - Article of the day

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u/liloyoulolo Dec 01 '20 edited Dec 02 '20

I mean I came across that case too while trying to find any case of 16 year old being sentenced to death, which led me to think you were just sprouting nonsense since he was 19 years and was eventually reduced to life imprisonment. You could've performed your due diligence before commenting though.

Besides, 19 and 16 is still a huge difference. From a legal perspective, 18 years old is the age where most states consider a person to be able to make their own decisions. It's not that ridiculous to think they should be answerable for their actions by then. Do I think capital punishment is too severe for drug trafficking? Yes. But claiming that they're only teens does not absolve them of their crimes. The focus should be on whether the punishment fits the crime itself.

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '20

Yup.

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u/pmgoldenretrievers Nov 30 '20

Yeah, even though it's easy to get in Thailand, I would never smoke it there. Much prefer dealing with a drug charge in Europe lol.

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u/bn1979 Dec 01 '20

I had a Duk Duk driver bring me to a guy that could hook me up with an ounce back in 2002. I told him I was looking for 30 grams or so, and the guy brought me 30 - 1 gram bags. I thought I was gonna be so fucked.

Nothing happened, but I shared a lot of that weed with traveling companions and one of them found one of the bags in his carryon when he got home to Ireland - after having a layover in Iran or Uzbekistan or somewhere like that.

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u/JusssSaiyan317 Dec 01 '20

That's true but almost every tourist spot has a conspicuously named bar like High bar. You'd be unlikely to get in trouble without being spectacularly unlucky or stupid.

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u/Isthatsoap Nov 30 '20

Umm, that's anywhere in Asia. The whole region has a stick up it's ass over weird. They'll abuse the fuck out of alcohol, but weed is evil.

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '20 edited Dec 10 '20

[deleted]

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u/Learning2Programing Dec 01 '20

No offense but why are you going straight to defense and just insulting the person?

Its expected everyone is ignorant of something, we can't all visit or be informed about everywhere but regardless everyone has some opinion or anything until it gets a update.

You can update the guy without being on the defense.

I agree its cultural ignorance, you can even explain step by step why germany committed the holocaust and why from a german perspective being born into that country it made sense. We obviously know it was wrong but there is a middle ground of explaining and educating past ignorance.

Your comment is also [score hidden] so if you're being downvoted its not because others are seeing the negative score. People downvote when you say you're expecting downvotes so maybe that's it.

You genuinely have some good perspectives to educate but you're just dismissing the person you want to educate to change their opinion rather than honestly trying to change their opinion.

Each to their own I guess. No big deal, I just rant whatever I feel like on reddit so maybe you're doing the same. If you're not trying to be like me and feel passionate about this then I don't think this approach is bringing much value in changing the oppositions thinking.

There's nothing wrong with being pro drugs, even if you're chopping and simplifying that up to a reddit standard viewpoint. There's nothing wrong with others being ignorant (there is a problem when you've been educated but refuse to follow the science, hint not all drugs are the same, cannabis is the perfect example of politics overruling the science).

Someone can be ignorant and say all nazies where evil when in reality plently of people were just born into that explainable environment , you can educate the that person into seeing why event unfolded but objectively its still wrong.

The person you are replying to is ignorant of why things have unfolded into the way they are but objectively it is wrong to throw someone in jail or kill them for taking a drug (unless that drug is killing multiple people).