Thailand’s new government is moving ahead to pass new legisalation banning cannabis for recreational use in a major reversal 18 months after the country became the first in Asia to decriminalize the plant.
The relaxed laws saw a lucrative cannabis industry catering to locals and foreigners alike boom across the Southeast Asian nation, but a new conservative coalition government came to power late last year vowing to tighten the rules and only allow medical use.
A draft bill was released on Tuesday by Thailand’s health ministry outlining hefty fines or prison sentences of up to one year for offenders – or both.
Banning something enjoyable that harms no one and has nil impact on society - just conservative things.
Ain’t nothing more conservative than banning fun.
You know what’s even worse than conservatives? People who vote for them.
They are a dictatorship.
So the people voting for them used guns or threats instead of ballots. I’d still say those ones are even worse for enabling the leaders.
Yeah. The Thais make the French look like Americans when it comes to protesting. Everyone is just so used to government not working and impossible to make it work that they don’t even bother.
They cancelled the results of a election this summer and the great reaction was a few student protests that were calm.
*regressive
Potato tomato
You’re a good person
have you heard about disposable vapes? i find that topic brings them out of even a hippie
edit: see its like flies to honey
Disposable vapes do cause harm though, regardless of what’s in them
Those should be restricted
Harm…to the environment, yes.
Sure; that’s a container that is unnecessary and a problem in itself. It’s contents are not the issue.
They cause an incredible amount of e-waste and are frequently targeted at children.
Won’t someone please think of the children!!!
Seriously though, why not just support regulating them and allowing only reusable vapes instead of supporting a ban which only results in a black market?
Has this happened anywhere? My country has talked about banning disposables and only disposables. It makes too much money from vaping to ban it totally.
How is it much different than disposable batteries?
Not saying there aren’t better options. But seems like it’s a weird hill to die on
Lithium (and other materials that go into common rechargable batteries in vapes) are rare earth minerals that could be used for other much more important uses whereas the materials in non-rechargable batteries are less useful or rare. Not all vapes use lithium but it’s common, and using it just once is a particularly wasteful use of a valuable resource, along with other hazards that come from dumping it in landfill.
Making a vape with a (user) rechargable battery that has a decent amount of re-uses isn’t that hard, so these single-use vapes really are just pointless.
But yeah, disposable batteries in general aren’t great either, and I avoid them as much as possible my self.
Have you heard of banning the vapes but not the drug thats in them?
that’s just ewaste. at least reuse the battery! also every place that sells them should required to have a bin you can drop off your used carts in for recycling.
why are people still so backwards about this? what’s the point? everyone uses caffeine and/or alcohol and that’s fine but weed is horrible and bad? just blatantly denying reality
In most places, there’s money in enforcement, and power in disenfranchisement.
I don’t know what Thailand-specific motives might be in play here, if any.
And tobacco.
I think the idea is that they can’t fight a war on those drugs since they’re already there, but they can still win against the others by keeping them out.
It helps when you have relatively tight borders and your neighbours agree.
I smoked weed in Thailand as a 15 year old in like 2006 lol. It’s always been there and always will be.
I’ve also smoked hash in Saudi Arabia. I have yet to find a single country in which I could not find cannabis in if around for more than a week or two. Literally no one has ever won the war on drugs or even come close.
I’m not saying it doesn’t exist, but it’s not as easy to find as it is in Canada, for instance…I’d imagine, lol
And weed is one thing, but it might be harder to find other drugs. Thailand might be different, but I’m thinking of places like Japan, South Korea, Singapore, etc…not non-existent, but harder to find than in some other places.
People are okay with drug use as long as it’s drugs they use.
You even see it among pot smokers towards nicotine and alcohol.
No, not really.
I mean, a little bit. I had to quit weed for a while job and so I was having a glass of wine at a party and a few people made judgemental comments about how I’m “drinking again”.
Similarly, now that I can smoke again, and as the only one in my extended social circle who can roll a joint that burns properly, I’ll ask the person who brought the gear if they want me to roll joints, spliffs, or a few of each, and how strong, and again there will be one or two people who say “I can’t believe people cut their weed with the tobacco, that’s disgusting”
But at the same time, those judgy friends would never campaign for alcohol and tobacco to be completely criminalised. They just think weed is much better.
That said, a few of us were pretty happy to see the 100% vape ban coming into Victoria, not so much from the drug side of it, but I’m sick of seeing “disposable” vapes everywhere and seeing the parking lot bins catch fire almost every day at work because people chuck them out and the batteries explode.
Having experienced some of life, and having seen what can happen with things like meth coke fentanyl tranq etc., I can see why commenters in this thread might think pot smokers think they’re better than others when they hear things like “weed and shrooms only.” Those other things do sound worse. I can’t imagine wanting to try them tbh.
His whole statement is correct, I’ve seen it time and time again.
Your comment didn’t even elaborate which part you were disagreeing with?
I’m not either of those guys, but in my experience it has nothing to do with their drug of choice and more to do with the social tolerances of the overall group. Outside the good bars in my town all three types associate freely.
The notion that pot smokers all look down on users of other drugs is ridiculous.
Not all, but definitely a common theme. Heavy drinkers judge smokers. Cigarette smokers judge weed smokers and vice versa.
There’s also a lot of people who do all and have no problem, absolutely. But I’ve seen angst against other drug users in groups of drug users completely straight faced, unaware of the irony, plenty of times.
Angst lmao, it’s about harm reduction.
If I assume you are asking, instead of making a statement. Then i am not able to answer since i seem to be unable to see any comments on this post.
Maybe some moderator had a bad day, as only this world news is like that while the whole rest of lemmy.world works fine. Would be nice if i got any… anything about it. Seems harsh.
Thai people just didn’t want to be thought of as drug users. That’s it.
Totes fine with people smoking pot, provided said pot is odorless.
And I’d be fine with the neighbors cooking up a smelly fish meal if they could just make that food odorless.
But obviously they can’t and that makes no sense, so instead I am a normal human being and just deal with a smell that is not to my preference since it’s completely subjective and can’t hurt me.
You need to eat. You don’t need to smoke. Weed stinks like nothing else. Try again.
But you don’t NEED to eat fish/seafood, which I find repulsive, and in my world that’s all that matters. Also, I hope you dont use the perfume, cologne, or deodorant I don’t like, because that should also be illegal… because I don’t like it. I also don’t like cigarettes or sage, so if you use that, straight to jail.
People aren’t walking around smelling like fish they ate 12 hours ago. I can’t smell someone’s cologne from two cars ahead of me.
Pot smokers aren’t heating up their weed in the staff lunchroom or endangering entire ecosystems because people smoke it too much. Face it, your opinion is wack.
I visited NY in March. Our hotel was in Times Square. It sucked.
https://nypost.com/2023/09/01/nycs-disgusting-pot-stench-is-keeping-tourists-away/
I got on the train as soon as I could and went anywhere else. Every time I came home for the night it was so effing bad.
But why can’t they make something that smells delicious though like an Indian curry or fried Swiss cheese and eat that instead of nasty-ass fish?
God I would love it if pot smelled like the McDonalds quarter pounder with cheese. Maybe AI can figure it out.
I don’t understand how people hate it. Weed is better-smelling than tobacco by a mile and then some. Tobacco smoke irritates your lungs when you smell it, something that doesn’t happen with weed unless you have some medical condition.
I can stand smoke. It’s annoying, but it’s fine. Pot is smells like a No. 2 pencil eraser factory on fire. It’s nowhere close to the same.
like a No. 2 pencil eraser factory on fire
Lol! Fair enough. I think it smells a bit like skunk spray, but I didn’t mind the skunk smell from the few times that I smelled it from afar.
I can take social situations in private places like someone’s home, or even public places like parks. I expect people to enjoy themselves.
Me and a couple friends went to Texas Roadhouse and were seated in a section that had a ~1 foot partition between booths. A little later a couple of guys were seated opposite of the partition, in a booth running parallel to ours. We were nauseated by the smell and asked to be reseated. They ironically sat us in a corner booth decorated with Willie Nelson pictures on the walls and table, with a neon sign that read Willie’s Corner. We felt bad for the couple that were shortly seated in that same booth. We had a really good meal.
I fully support someone’s freedom to do what they want as long as they’re not bothering others. Reeking of weed while we spend upwards to 50 bucks for a meal (prices are nuts now) is unacceptable.
That’s fair. Although, tbh with you, I would’ve liked to be sitting right next to them. 😂
The pot will be odorless when the cigarette is.
That’s fine. Smoking is banned in most public places.
Honestly, it’s a nuisance for many.
I wouldn’t want to live close to a dispensary, there’s almost always a “stench”. Don’t get me wrong I like to partake, but I definitely understand why it’s stigmatized. It fricken stinks and the stereotype of high kids doing dumb shit is real as well. I think they just need better control
Edit: damn guys I like weed and Thailand was on my list of countries to visit because they legalized. I’m just not surprised… They’re the only country in APAC to have legalized and there are countries around then giving out death penalties.
High kids’ dumb shit will always pale in comparison to drunk kids’ dumb shit and it’s not even close.
Absolutely, unless they’re also drinking - but then weed may also be mitigating some of alcohol’s worst effects. Alcohol reduces inhibition, while weed often causes anxiety. Alcohol increases propensity for violent behavior, while weed usually calms you down.
It’s also important to point out, it’s still illegal for kids to be doing either if the things in the first place.
It definitely is still illegal, so I think they just need some better controls. I think good for any new legal substance, it takes a bit for things to be put in place
It’s still dumb shit
Edit: agreed drunk kids do way worse stuff, but I’ve done some seriously stupid shit while high, just drawing from personal experience
There’s dumb people and some of them drink or smoke.
Kids are capable of extremely dumb shit even when sober.
Definitely true, but even in the US the more conservative population and older population are pretty against the substance. I’d say they’re coming around to it in the long legal states, but it’s still a drug that you smoke. It’s not unlike cigarettes, but cigarettes don’t get compared to the smell of skunk
Everyone I know that isn’t a cigarette or weed smoker agrees that cigarettes smell much worse. It also lingers longer.
Really? I mean I agree, but I definitely think people are used to cigarette smoke. But weed leaves that dank skunk smell behind. I’m surprised everyone you know prefers the weed smell
I didn’t say everyone I know. I said everyone I know that doesn’t smoke. Obviously the weed smokers think weed smells better and the cig smokers think that cigs smell better.
Smoke weed in a room with the window open there will be no smell the next day. Not the same for cigarettes.
Definitely agree that cigarette smell lingers and weed smell dissapates, but I also believe weed smell, in the short term covers a larger area and smells worse. Maybe I’m bias since I like the smell of cigarettes (but I also like the smell of weed).
I wouldn’t want to live close to a dispensary, there’s almost always a “stench”.
I pass by dispensarys all the time and never notice a smell. The only places that smell are those that allow smoking on premise – which with our state’s indoor smoking laws are very rare.
It’s no different than tobacco, really.
Agreed, the nice locations do really well. But, I’m not sure if it’s just people smoking nearby or what, but there’s 2 dispensaries in Seattle that always stink. One I commute past in my car, and I can smell it from inside my vehicle from a few hundred feet away no matter what direction I’m coming from.
I personally think weed, in the short term has a stronger and further reaching smell. But that’s my own opinion. I’m sad Thailand is reversing, I wanted to visit and eat street food in Bangkok while high
Most really good quality weed doesn’t smell much. Also you use a lot less generally.
Hmmm I kind of found that good quality was stickier and smellier. I’m kind of numb to the smell though, since I smoke. I’ll get some nicer stuff and see what my roommate thinks
Could just be the kind of stuff I usually smoke. Its the kind of stuff where a single smallish bud would last a normal person more than a month, and I go through it in less than a week. Well I used to anyway, before moving to boringville
Make smoking around others outside or in public without other’s consent illegal (i.e. you can complain to police if you don’t like the smell), and introduce a rule you can only smoke on licensed premises (with smoking rooms) or at home.
That’s what some places have done with tobacco smoking. It is basically harassment or assault in my view to have people consume your second hand smoke and smells.
Edibles on the outer hand, or if you create flavored vapes that don’t smell much or travel far in the air, all good.
Lack of creativity among conservatives is never surprising.
Also it’s already illegal for kids to do weed, smoke or drink.
I agree with you. Problem for Thailand is(last I checked) they’re the only country in APAC that legalized fully. I think it’s stigmatized since all those countries are so strict. Last I remember Indonesia had a potential death penalty for having 1kg of weed.
A pity. That country is very dependent on tourism and really hasn’t recovered since the virus.
There is something about being high as a kite in Bangkok and eating one of the best meals of your life from a stand for a 100 Bhat.
Yeah I agree, it’s sad.
When I heard they had legalised weed I thought it was a really clever move.
There were some other changes to visas around the same time which made Thailand a really great destination for young remote workers. I remember thinking how unusual it was for a south east asian country to be so progressive.
Now they’re going to shoot themselves in the foot just because they’re worried about what people might think.
Did I miss it? Was there a reason given or is it just the new “conservative coalition” doesn’t like it?
Right-wing gonna hate. Conservatives just got nothin else to do.
You can’t be a conservative without hating things that make people happy while allowing things that make people sick like alcohol, cigarettes, and motor vehicles.
It was part of their election campaign I presume. Vote for us and we will walk back the law.
I’ve spent a lot of time in South East Asia and I’ve found most south east asian cultures to be deeply pretentious. It’s fine to live in a shoe box provided that you’re carrying an iPhone, et cetera.
A lot of Thais felt that legalisation had meant that the world suddenly identified Thailand as some kind of “drug country”, which is absolutely unacceptable to many Thais.
It’s not a question of whether weed ought to be legal, it’s a question of whether Thai people wish to be thought of as some kind of junkie nation.
The equivalent to the legalization of cannabis making people think of Thailand as a 'junkie nation’s would be the rampant sex tourism making people think of Thailand as a paedo nation. And they’ve been fine with that for decades. So I very much doubt that it’s because “south east Asian cultures” are “deeply pretentious”. Also, just grouping hundreds of millions of people from vastly different cultures together as monolithic and “deeply pretentious” ironically says more about your own levels of deep pretension than about south east Asian cultures
Sure mate.
You probably mean to say I’m prejudiced or even racist or something rather than pretentious, and that would be true in this case.
Pretentious is a loaded term. One might say “heavily motivated by perceptions of class”.
I haven’t grouped culture’s together as monolithic. Merely that the many and varied cultures I’ve encountered in SEA are very concerned with the perceptions of others.
I’ve spoken to many Thais about this very issue, at length, including my partner. You don’t care whether you believe me, but it absolutely is because they worry about being perceived as a country of drug users.
You literally wrote most south east Asian cultures are deeply pretentious. Having a Thai partner doesn’t somehow magically make you an authority on a region with close to 700 million people. You’re grouping together countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Burma and Singapore and calling them deeply pretentious. Bringing up a Thai partner to demonstrate some kind of authority in the matter fits perfectly in with the rest of it. I don’t have any issues believing you have a Thai partner and have spoken to many Thais. My issue again is with you thinking that fact gives you the authority to casually judge a region of 700 million people as deeply pretentious. And then doubling down.
I don’t claim to be an authority. This is my opinion.
I’ve actually spent a great deal of time in each of the countries you mentioned with the exception of Singapore. I’m entitled to have an opinion, with which you may disagree if you wish.
I didn’t disclaim my opinion with mealy mouthed qualifications as in “well in my opinion people I’ve met in South East Asia often tend to be more pretentious than the average person in, say, Australia” because I just don’t care what you think.
I have in fact spent a great deal of time talking with Thais both in Thailand and abroad about this exact issue. I suspect you might be surprised at how many of them would just outright tell you “yeah I don’t like how everyone thinks Thailand is some kind of drug country now”.
Are you white? Because they won’t extend the same courtesy to brown people… specifically Indians.
Yes I’m white.
Skin color is a very strong indicator of class or social status in Thailand. People who work outside or in the fields will have darker skin. People who sit around all day in-doors will have lighter skin.
While logically people can acknowledge that this isn’t true in 2024, there’s plenty of wealthy people with a dark complexion, it’s so deeply embedded in Thai culture that beautiful, desirable people have light skin.
Not OP but:
My issue again is with you thinking that fact gives you the authority to casually judge a region of 700 million people as deeply pretentious. And then doubling down.
It’s kind of true. As an Indian I know how much SEA turns up their nose at the sight of Indians.
I worked over there. Man Singapore looks so far down on Indians and Malaysians it’s amazing they can even see things to be racist about. And then they steal everyone else’s cuisine anyways.
It’s amazing how much SEA cares about status and all that but I think it’s to make sure they note that while being working class countries they are white collar instead of blue in an attempt to excuse anything away. “Hey, at least we aren’t farmers”
Even the birth places of Buddhism, Daoism, and more can’t avoid the trappings of perceived identity.
I’ve seen article in the past couple of months that basically said the regulation for cannabis when it became legal was next to nothing, and that caused some issues with locals when some people tried to take advantage of the lack of regulation.
I can’t remember the specifics, but I’m sure it had to do with an over abundance of stores popping up in major tourist areas.
Anecdotally, I will say that it has caused an increase of selling weed to other neighbouring countries. When I went to visits friends in Cambodia this summer, there was lots of ‘hydro’ available in cities close to the border that is 100X better than the stuff in Cambodia, where it’s legal-ish.
I was there this summer and finding cannabis was not hard. One tourist place there was literally woman walking around holding a tray of selection trying to get the attention of foreigners to sell. Like in an old fashion casino. The rule was you could only use the stuff in designated areas but no one was enforcing. Every tourist bar has people using it. Hemp does grow wild there and they been making tea for selling for who knows how long.
From what I gathered the market exploded, got oversaturated, and now places are starting up/dying every month. I guess like vape stores in the West.
It isn’t legal-ish in Cambodia, laws are just not enforced very much with low public confidence in anything being done.
It’s legal for ‘traditional uses’ which I would say is legal-ish. Even though most of them shut down, there are still Happy Pizza shops in every major city.
It had use traditionally and could be bought by the bagful (as in, plastic bag) for a dollar back in the day at local markets, however that is no longer the case. Happy pizza places bribe the cops not to bust them, which doesn’t make it legal. I don’t think there is a provision for traditional usage anymore:
You can get permission for medical purposes, but that’s about it.
What year is it?!
think we replaying the 1920s right now all over the world progress is going backwards at a phenomenal rate
Conservatives should really be called something like Regressionists
Or just plain cunts and assholed
“God forbid we do something good for society!” - Conservatives
Nothing good in all of human history has ever come from conservatism. Nothing at all.
Dumb
lame!
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Now this is an interesting bot
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Bad Bot.
Check the post history. Its spamming this same response across many unrelated threads.
… but why? They could be spamming something political or whatever. But no, they feel so strongly that they need to spam bot about the formatting in lemmy?
Great, it’s a dangerous drug after all.
So is caffeine.
Comparing the odds of developing schizophrenia: opting for marijuana may play a risky hand, with research hinting at potential links, while moderate coffee consumption stands on more stable ground, lacking conclusive evidence tying it to a heightened risk.
Choose wisely.
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Cannabis doesn’t cause schizophrenia. It merely brings out symptoms earlier than normal in individuals that already have schizophrenia but haven’t had a major episode yet.
Repeat after me: Correlation Does Not Equal Causation.
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Cannabis doesn’t cause anyone to “develop” schizophrenia.
You are right. Smoking weed by itself doesn’t make someone get schizophrenia, but there’s solid research showing a link between heavy cannabis use and a higher risk of developing schizophrenia, especially in folks who might already have a predisposition to it. So, it’s essential to look at the bigger picture of what the studies are telling us.
That doesnt mean it’s dangerous to society at large, and I’d argue that authoritarism IS. Also, (illicit) heavy cannabis use saved my life and is the only thing that adaquately treats my depression and allows me to function like a normal human being. So reading this honestly makes me want to tell you to go play in traffic -The world is bleak-a-fucking-nough I hope you’re at least getting paid to post this crap
authoritarism is the #1 danger
heavy cannabis use allows me to function like a normal human being
You seem very sane, definitely not addicted.
Would you say the same thing to someone who needs SSRIs to maintain stability?
no there isn’t
Yes and your chances are very very low… Lower than say getting hit by a car.
And that’s factoring the possible 30% increase in incident rate from those studies…
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This astroturf smells like shit
Nah, it just supports general atrocities like child labour and slaves though.
Bruh, your account is decked out as a McDonald’s advertisement. Nothing you say will ever be respected.
Nothing you say will ever be respected.
Jelly?
Joined today. Troll account.
So is alcohol
Alcohol is the beverage of Gods
Maybe that’s why all the gods died out?
Trololol
I love it when bots come in and act like they have a great gotcha saying.
Like sugar or heroine?
Kinda, yes
Kinda what? That’s not a binary question. Is weed a dangerous drug like sugar, or a dangerous drug like heroine? What kind of dangerous drug is it? Ketamine?
Learn to ask questions if you want answers
Is weed a dangerous drug like sugar, or a dangerous drug like heroine? What kind of dangerous drug is it? Ketamine?
a rarity in a region where many countries give long jail terms and even death sentences for people convicted of marijuana possession, consumption or trafficking.
Anything that can get you the death penalty is dangerous by proxy.
