Thailand buying weed

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Thailand buying weed

Two years ago, soon after Thailand became the first Asian nation to decriminalize cannabis, Sarunyu Toprasert and three friends joined a rush of pot entrepreneurs and launched the Channel Weed Store. Promises of economic salvation for poor farmers have not materialized. There are growing concerns that marijuana is harming children and making the already chaotic roads even more dangerous. And a growing worry about methamphetamine — which remains illegal — has made drugs in general an appealing target for politicians. In parliamentary elections last year, most political parties campaigned against the recreational use of pot. We have to work fast. He said medical use will be allowed to continue, but details have been sparse, leaving Sarunyu to wonder whether his business has any future. And just a couple of generations ago, farmers in the rural northeast used cannabis to relax after a long day in the fields. But in , the Thai government caved to U. A highly publicized war on drugs — which included extrajudicial killings of suspected dealers — followed in the early s. Methamphetamine was the primary target, but the crackdown also deepened the stigma against cannabis. When the country legalized marijuana for medical use in , cultivation was closely supervised by the government while standards for prescriptions were strict. Not that there was much concern about wider use — polls suggested there was little demand for recreational weed. In June, Thailand became the only country in Asia to legalize marijuana, igniting a green rush that has seduced farmers, corporations and others. In June , the government removed marijuana from its list of banned narcotics, and with minimal regulation, the pot industry immediately took off in a way that few anticipated. More than a million Thais have registered to grow cannabis at home, while more than 12, cannabis dispensaries across the country are operating on three-year licenses from the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicines. Staffers at the Four Twenty farm harvest cannabis in Bangkok. A staff member at the Four Twenty dispensary prepares cannabis for a customer in Bangkok. Cannabis from the Four Twenty farm. Big, a staff member at the Four Twenty cannabis dispensary, prepares different cannabis strains for sale in Bangkok. Customers are often from places where pot is illegal. Pre-rolled joints are sold at the Four Twenty cannabis dispensary in Bangkok. Bongs are sold at the Four Twenty cannabis dispensary. Different cannabis strains are readied for sale at a dispensary in Bangkok. At his indoor cannabis farm in Bangkok last month, workers in white jumpsuits were busy trimming his harvest of White Runtz, a strain developed in Los Angeles. Hunched over trays of the buds, which smelled faintly like cheese, they worked their tiny scissors in silent concentration. In the first year of legalization, a quarter of adults reported using cannabis, up from 2. There were 20, cannabis-linked psychosis cases in the 12 months after the change, up from 10, in the 12 months leading up to it. In recent years, methamphetamine has been entering the country in record quantities from Myanmar , where political instability has allowed drug cartels to ramp up production. More than , people were treated for methamphetamine abuse last year, up from about 90, in , according to the government. In October , a year-old former police officer who had been fired for possession of meth stormed a day-care center in Nong Bua Lamphu province and fatally shot or stabbed 36 people — most of them children. The killings had a profound effect on attitudes about drugs. For many Thais — and the media here — the distinctions among various narcotics are lost. In such a climate, politicians are under pressure to appear tough on drugs. And at a time when several other policy failures have put the prime minister on the defensive, the cannabis controversy represents an opportunity to score easy political points, given that it was his Pheu Thai Party that was behind the war on drugs 20 years ago. Like many Thais his age, he dislikes the smell of pot smoke and the mass intrusion of dispensaries along the beaches. He fears the effect this will have on the students who hang out at the market after school. Phuket can grow its economy in other ways. In California, the marijuana industry has been beset by illegal operations, worker abuses and a failure to live up to its economic promise — issues widely attributed to heavy taxation and poor enforcement of regulations. In Thailand, there are almost no regulations to enforce. Illegal cannabis farms are engulfing parts of California and exploiting farmworkers who labor in squalid, deadly conditions, a Times investigation finds. Back in early , before removing cannabis from the illegal narcotics list, the then-ruling Bhumjaithai Party proposed a bill known as the Cannabis and Hemp Act that would have confined recreational use to select tourist areas and required dispensaries to have traditional medicine doctors on their premises. Other than a handful of provisional measures, such as those against selling cannabis to people younger than 20 or smoking in public, regulations and enforcement are scant. Many vendors openly sell joints from illegal street stalls. There are no rules that prevent licensed dispensaries from opening near schools. But accreditation is voluntary for cultivators supplying dispensaries. You pop it open and there it is. Making matters worse, Thailand is now being flooded with weed illegally imported from California, where the market is also facing a glut. Years after California legalized cannabis with Proposition 64, some supporters say it has not met expectations, while those who opposed the initiative say it has proved worse than they feared. Once we had a whole plane working for us. Many Thai cultivators, facing bankruptcy, are turning to exports of their own, sending pot to countries where it is illegal. A view of the outdoor growing area at the Artemis 98 cannabis farm in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The cannabis harvested from the Artemis 98 farm. A view of the outdoor growing area at the farm. Like many other farms in the area, he regularly offloads much of his inventory to a local wholesaler at heavily discounted rates. But their sales are actually coming from wholesale. Given the problems and the politics, even the former health minister who led the drive to decriminalize pot has grudgingly pledged his support for undoing that decision. The more than a million people who registered their growing activities might wake up one morning as potential criminals. Many of the 3, marijuana offenders who were released from prison just two years ago could suddenly find themselves back behind bars. The illegal market would probably bounce back bigger than ever. Imagine if those people lost their jobs immediately. Their exploitation is one of the most overlooked narratives of the era of legal cannabis. A proper regulatory framework, he said, could include measures to assuage public concerns, such as stricter zoning to keep dispensaries away from children, as well as a better commercial licensing system to stabilize the market and protect small businesses. If that means taxes on his sales, Sarunyu, the dispensary owner, is happy to pay. Seated across from a shelf filled with shiny new bongs was his only customer, a bespectacled, middle-aged man. After a brief consultation at the counter, he decided to roll his own rather than buying one of the ready-made joints on offer. The loose cannabis grounds proved to be unwieldy, defying his attempts to corral it with the paper, spilling out in every direction. He succeeded after several minutes, anointing the joint with a quick stroke of the tongue before lighting up and taking two quick puffs. He flashed a satisfied smile. He had never tried marijuana before. But after hearing about the impending ban, he had wanted to smoke his first joint while it was still legal. He grew up in Seoul and Princeton, N. De Los. Times Everywhere. For Subscribers. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Hot Property. Times Events. Times Store. Special Supplements. Marijuana shops are seen throughout Khaosan Road on May 22, , in Bangkok. By Max Kim. Photography by Lauren DeCicca. Share via Close extra sharing options. Signs advertising the sale of cannabis along Khaosan Road in Bangkok. Korean tourists pose with a statue of Ronald McDonald in front of Plantopia, a cannabis-themed mall in Bangkok. A tailor displays a mannequin wearing a cannabis suit at his shop in Chiang Mai, Thailand. California The reality of legal weed in California: Huge illegal grows, violence, worker exploitation and deaths. Staff members stock the shelves at the Four Twenty dispensary in Bangkok. The Four Twenty cannabis dispensary sells different cannabis strains. Farmers clean up weeds and grass in a cannabis growing area at the Artemis 98 farm in Chiang Mai, Thailand. California For Subscribers. Tai Taveepanichpan, a consultant for Canna Grow Technology and the owner of Four Twenty, a chain of cannabis shops with retail locations in Bangkok and Phuket, inspects the harvest at his farm. More to Read. Cheech and Chong sue California over ban on certain hemp products. California lawmakers pass bill allowing Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes. Max Kim. More From the Los Angeles Times. Defense chief promises Ukraine what it needs to fight Russia but goes no further.

Cannabis in Thailand - A Guide to the Laws for Tourists

Thailand buying weed

So what are tourists allowed to do? Since the delisting of parts of the marijuana plant as a narcotic last year, cannabis cafes and weed dispensaries have become common in Thailand. People older than 20 and who are not pregnant or breastfeeding are legally allowed to consume cannabis. There are more than 5, weed stores across the country, selling the cannabis flowers, pre-rolled joints, edibles with a tetrahydrocannabinol THC level below 0. In cities such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pattaya, dispensaries can easily be found. A permit is also needed to use cannabis flower buds for research, export or processing for commercial purposes. Tourists cannot enter or leave the country carrying any part of the plant or its seeds. As well, possession of extracts with a THC level higher than 0. Thailand has relaxed its cannabis rules, but tourists could still fall foul of the law if they consume marijuana in the wrong place. This article is more than 1 year old. Read more. Reuse this content. Most viewed.

Thailand buying weed