Marijuana (in Thailand)

[kjun12]

As we all know by now dope is now legal in Thailand.  That is great for those who like to use it.  The only problem is that the shops selling it have decided that they will make their first million on it by charging outrageously for it.  I know that the one sold in the US is much cheaper than here in LOS.  Perhaps as time goes on these guys selling it will have more and more competition and the prices will drop.  But, for now those who use it will pay, pay and pay for it.

[Boy69]

2 hours ago, kjun12 said:

As we all know by now dope is now legal in Thailand.  That is great for those who like to use it.  The only problem is that the shops selling it have decided that they will make their first million on it by charging outrageously for it.  I know that the one sold in the US is much cheaper than here in LOS.  Perhaps as time goes on these guys selling it will have more and more competition and the prices will drop.  But, for now those who use it will pay, pay and pay for it.

I have only one thing to say about it :

don't buy, don't cry.

[Travellerdave]

During my recent trip to Pattaya I was really surprised to see a couple of prominent selling it. I had no intention of partaking - the last time I did so was a long time ago in Amsterdam and that was not a happy experience. I wonder if poppers are legal now in Thailand ?. I was also surprised to be offered a bottle to sniff during the later stages of a massage which I refused.

[scott456]

Popper gives me headaches. 

I am happier with taquila.

[Guest]

13 hours ago, Travellerdave said:

I wonder if poppers are legal now in Thailand ?. I was also surprised to be offered a bottle to sniff during the later stages of a massage which I refused.

Whether or not they are legal, some charming young lads still bring them out for their own consumption in bed. 

[TotallyOz]

Well, I was in my elevator today and I smelled weed. I continued to the first floor and the guy got out and went to the Grab taxi driver and got a bag. The bag had a smiley face on it and a weed symbol. I am not shy so I asked him and he said, "yes, they all deliver now to your door."  I thought this might be a little hard to get but after talking to him and then asking others, it is just as easy here as ordering Pizza. I was shocked that a country that just recently incarcerated people for long times for this, is now so open and visible.

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, Eristanjoro said:

Hey there! I just stumbled across this post and it sounds really interesting. It's crazy to think that a country like Thailand, which used to incarcerate people for using weed, is now so open about it.

there are countries who incarcerated people for gay sex and now allow gay marriage. World changes and mostly for the better

[caeron]

 

Here in Oregon, we had the same problem initially. Not enough supply for the new demand so prices were high. Then everybody got on the bandwagon and prices crashed.

[Marc in Calif]

2 hours ago, Eristanjoro said:

 I just discovered an article about an heirloom strain that's supposed to be the best for relief.

It's not just an "article." It's an advertisement that was paid for by the manufacturer: Spruce Natural Labs (North Carolina). 

[xpaulo]

There were all kinds of dire predictions about what would happen in Canada when pot was legalized. They were all ridiculous as many people had been smoking since the 1970s and charging for possession of small amounts was rare in many parts of the country. Nevertheless, a criminal record is a criminal record, legalization was long overdue.

[finchchloe]

@xpaulo, you bring up a really good point about the evolution of cannabis laws. It's fascinating to see how perspectives and legislation can change over time. Canada's move to legalize cannabis has been watched closely by countries around the world, and it certainly dispelled many of the doomsday scenarios that some had predicted. The stigma surrounding cannabis has been slowly chipping away, and its potential therapeutic applications are becoming more widely recognized.
For those looking to delve deeper into the subject, this comprehensive Guide to Cannabinoids at https://releaf.co.uk/education/pain/medical/neuropathic-pain/a-guide-to-cannabinoids-for-neuropathic-pain offers a lot of insights. It's fascinating how our understanding of cannabis and its applications is evolving, isn't it?

[PeterRS]

On 4/6/2023 at 9:15 AM, vinapu said:

there are countries who incarcerated people for gay sex and now allow gay marriage. World changes and mostly for the better

Note that the present Prime Minster is on record as saying he plans to change the law back to what it was within 6 months - i.e. medical use only.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/29/asia/thailand-cannabis-clampdown-what-next-intl-hnk/index.html

[Keithambrose]

I am sure that Anutin will change the mind of the PM!

[vinapu]

9 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Note that the present Prime Minster is on record as saying he plans to change the law back to what it was within 6 months - i.e. medical use only.

 

I wouldn't bet on it now when even where Scandic was there's cannabis shop according to recent report by Christian PFC  

[moistmango]

On 10/14/2023 at 7:19 AM, vinapu said:

I wouldn't bet on it now when even where Scandic was there's cannabis shop according to recent report by Christian PFC  

Yep, Scandic's gone, but dispensaries are everywhere - some with wonderfully innovative designs and marketing strategies.

 

 

[Department_Of_Agriculture]

2 hours ago, moistmango said:

Yep, Scandic's gone, but dispensaries are everywhere - some with wonderfully innovative designs and marketing strategies.

 

 

More worrying than the disappearance of "Scam Dick" is the Chinese script on the signage. The last thing we need are hordes of them descending on Boyz Town. BBB should serve as a warning on the outcome.

[vinapu]

8 hours ago, moistmango said:

Yep, Scandic's gone, but dispensaries are everywhere - some with wonderfully innovative designs and marketing strategies.

 

I like that name ' green house", talk about audacity

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, Department_Of_Agriculture said:

More worrying than the disappearance of "Scam Dick" is the Chinese script on the signage. The last thing we need are hordes of them descending on Boyz Town. BBB should serve as a warning on the outcome.

they will descend whether we like or now as Boyztown is firmly on their tour schedule.  I don't like what happened with BBB as much as you, with 1000 baht off fee and boys standing there almost all fully clothed but unpleasant truth is , they must be doing something right as house seems to be packed night after night and boys are not leaving in droves. 

Sad state of Sunee Plaza could be improved if some  of these hordes derailed there.

[moistmango]

7 hours ago, Department_Of_Agriculture said:

More worrying than the disappearance of "Scam Dick" is the Chinese script on the signage. The last thing we need are hordes of them descending on Boyz Town. BBB should serve as a warning on the outcome.

What the sign says is "Hong Kong-style marijuana establishment". (Hence the image of Bruce Lee, I'm guessing.) Given the state of things these days, the Mainlander hordes might actually give it a miss .. This place is actually just across the street from the Sai Song Rd. entrance to Boyztown, where Scandic used to be.

[PeterRS]

8 hours ago, moistmango said:

What the sign says is "Hong Kong-style marijuana establishment". (Hence the image of Bruce Lee, I'm guessing.) 

I find that rather odd. Hong Kong has banned marijuana for many decades. Possession can carry a jail sentence of from 3 - 7 years under existing legislation.

I even wonder if @moistmango's translation is correct. The characters for Hong Kong are 香港 and while the first is correct the second is not. The literal translation of the two chinese characters for Hong Kong is "Fragrant Harbour". I suspect the second is not harbour but some other character meaning something like watering hole.

This video below illustrates that the marijuana industry deliberately targets Chinese tourists.

But we still have to understand that the industry remains unregulated and is spiralling virtually out of control. A bill re regulation got caught up in the dissolution of parliament prior to the election and was never passed into law. Hence the speedy mushrooming (😵) of shops all over the country and concerns that almost anything can be sold as marijuana and purchasers will get ripped off by bad actors who have taken advantage of the climate of zero regulation. No doubt that is why the present PM is pressing to open up the debate again and have its sale restricted. Even Anutin has promised to roll back the 'open door' that he himself led the charge to open.

[moistmango]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

I find that rather odd. Hong Kong has banned marijuana for many decades. Possession can carry a jail sentence of from 3 - 7 years under existing legislation.

I even wonder if @moistmango's translation is correct. The characters for Hong Kong are 香港 and while the first is correct the second is not. The literal translation of the two chinese characters for Hong Kong is "Fragrant Harbour". I suspect the second is not harbour but some other character meaning something like watering hole.

 

The first two characters in that sign are "港式", which is just standard parlance meaning "HK style". (The second character there, "式", denotes "type", "style" or "pattern".) That, here, the first character in "香港" is dropped is a pretty typical contraction - the solo character "港" is understood to refer to HK. 

It is a strange turn of phrase, if only because no such thing exists in HK, as you point out. If you read some Chinese, the last character in the sign, "館", which suggests an institution (in the bureaucratic sense), or a large establishment (such as a restaurant etc.), is unusual in this context, since this is a small shop hawking weed that we're talking about. It's also the giveaway - it seems that they might be riffing off of the opium dens of yore, which in Chinese were called "烟館", or, literally, "smoke establishments". 

 

https://k.sina.cn/article_5916092884_160a069d4001006a4q.html

 

 

[PeterRS]

23 hours ago, moistmango said:

The first two characters in that sign are "港式", which is just standard parlance meaning "HK style". (The second character there, "式", denotes "type", "style" or "pattern".) That, here, the first character in "香港" is dropped is a pretty typical contraction - the solo character "港" is understood to refer to HK. 

It is a strange turn of phrase, if only because no such thing exists in HK, as you point out. If you read some Chinese, the last character in the sign, "館", which suggests an institution (in the bureaucratic sense), or a large establishment (such as a restaurant etc.), is unusual in this context, since this is a small shop hawking weed that we're talking about. It's also the giveaway - it seems that they might be riffing off of the opium dens of yore, which in Chinese were called "烟館", or, literally, "smoke establishments". 

Thanks @moistmango for a fascinating post. Your reference to opium of course brings to mind the Opium Wars of the early 1800s when the British forced the Chinese to accept crates of opium for their exports instead of silver as mandated by Beijing. That in turn led to the ceding of Hong Kong to the British, the further decline of rotting Manchu rule, what the Chinese rightly call the "century of humiliation" when western powers took over chunks of the China coastline and imposed their own laws, the rise of nationalism with Sun Yat Sen at the forefront, the decades of uncertainty with Chiang Kao Shek and Mao finally joining forces temporarily during the horrendous atrocities of the Japanese invasion and then war, until what most Chinese felt would finally be an era of peace under the new communist rule. Little did they know that Mao was a megalomaniac in the tradition of many dictators whose ambitions created campaigns that were eventually to kill and murder an estimated 30 million Chinese, the remainder of whom continued to live in griding poverty until the excesses of the Cultural Revolution so drained the will of the people that Deng Xiao-ping was able to return to power.

So opium and Deng in the 19th and 20th centuries basically shaped 21st century China.