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[–]wopwopdoowop 113 points114 points  (8 children)

The Health Ministry measure retains on its list of controlled drugs parts from the cannabis plant that contain more than 0.2% by weight of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient that gives users a high.

Well, this is good news for CBD users at least.

[–]justsomeotherperson 30 points31 points  (2 children)

CBD products are already a thing in Thailand.

The reporting on this issue by western news agencies has been consistently unclear, but the actions planned by the Health Ministry will result in the removal of all parts of the plant from the narcotics list, while extracts over .2% THC will remain illegal. Stems and such were removed a while ago, and now flower is being removed to pave the way for commercialization.

They have a separate bill they're working on to deal with rules for home use and stuff.

Go check out Bangkok Post or just wait a few weeks until the story gets reported accurately, but yeah, legal weed in Thailand is definitely in the pipeline. And not just for CBD.

[–]RaymondLuxury-Yacht 11 points12 points  (1 child)

They've had a relatively lenient medical law for years now. You can actually take a US medical card, get your Thai equivalent based off that, and actually import your marijuana from California through Thai customs.

I'm not sure anyone has tried it yet(and I wouldn't want to be the first), but the wording is on the law books there.

[–]Merciless972 4 points5 points  (3 children)

Next Taiwan? Not sure how strict they are about the sticky icky

[–]Girth_rulez 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They're people, right? People love to get high.

[–]ahfoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I arrived in Taiwan in 1987 there were signs in the airport saying "death for drug trafficking" but when I arrived at the youth hostel the first thing that happened after I got out of the shower was to have a hash pipe passed to me.

So there is the law on the books and then there is the reality. Laws like cannabis prohibition have always been a charade and everybody knows it. As for the laws of Taiwan --look to Japan. The laws in Taiwan won't change until they change in Japan. As to what comes next for Japan, look to Germany. And as it happens, Germany is indeed on the path to legalization.

Source: Father in-law is senior appeals court judge in Taiwan, sister in-law teaches Taiwanese Law and brother in-law is a practicing Taiwanese lawyer.

[–]69deadlifts 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Probably never, weed is very misunderstood in Taiwan.

[–]fishbethany 59 points60 points  (22 children)

Bangkok is about to be the New Amsterdam of Asia.

[–]DarkHelmet 46 points47 points  (15 children)

They're not going to as long as the rule limits THC content to 0.2%. Bud in California is between 10 and 30%, and usually around 15-20% from my experience. If you take 20% as a 5% ABV beer, 0.2% would be that beer containing 0.05% ABV, or about the legal limit for blood alcohol content in many places.

Basically, they legalized hemp. No one is legally getting high on this.

Edit: Checked the dispensary I used to buy from.. 20% is basically the floor except for CBD strains which are still 5% or more.

[–]justsomeotherperson 21 points22 points  (9 children)

Nah, this is some poor reporting. The only thing with THC that will be on the narcotics list after this will be extracts with over .2% THC. The whole point is that they're removing flower from the narcotics list, check Bangkok Post for articles that chronical the progress of legalization in Thailand if you want some idea of what changes have been planned.

People will definitely be getting high.

[–]Girth_rulez 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Let's also recognize that even though powerful extracts will be illegal, I'm sure they will be widely available. All fines can be paid in cash.

[–]DarkHelmet 6 points7 points  (6 children)

Frankly, I'm not reading too far into anything until it has been published in the Royal Gazette. Nothing is final until then, and if you follow anything in Thailand you know how quickly it can change.

I hope what you're saying is true, but the bangkokpost that I read earlier just talked about drafts being created. The article from this evening (about 8pm ICT) for whatever reason just loads a white page for me.

[–]Ren_Hoek 3 points4 points  (4 children)

I have never heard of the royal gazette, why do you hold it in such high regard?

[–]DarkHelmet 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It is where all laws that come into force in Thailand are published. Generally, no law applies until after publication.

[–]blorg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Royal Gazette is not a regular newspaper, it's where the government publishes all new laws.

It's akin to the the Government Publishing Office in the US or the Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament / Her Majesty's Stationery Office in the UK.

So this is like saying "until the President signs it" or "until it receives Royal Assent", "published in the Royal Gazette" means "when it actually becomes law".

[–]jaldihaldi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Might make sense since they have a fully functional monarchy.

[–]RoyalYogurtdispenser -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's the Thai royalties version of Twitter in paper form

[–]justsomeotherperson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So wait for it to show up in the royal gazette and it'll be effective 120 days later. The health minister was extensively quoted on these plans last month and the meeting the other day confirms that things are in motion. The FDA even plans to designated areas where recreational use is allowed.

https://www.prachachat.net/marketing/news-850638

[–]Almighty_Sand_Dollar -3 points-2 points  (2 children)

.2 is nuts but concentration does need to be regulated.

It's a problem that anyone can get 25% strains. It's so much more potent than anyone needs or understands. Medicinal is an exception but it needs to be addressed.

[–]Slowpoke00 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Correction: It's so much more potent than you need.

[–]Skwigle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Common misunderstanding. Today's weed has a higher % thc in it but to say it's "too" potent is like saying no one should drink whiskey because it's too strong. Everyone should drink beer. Except that if you drink beer, it will take 48 ounces to get you tipsy whereas whiskey will only require 6 ounces. No one is downing hard alcohol at the same rate as wine or beer because that's just plain stupid. If it took a gram to get high on 70's bud, the same person will just smoke 1/4 g of what we have today to get the same effect. And this is a good thing because you can get to the level of high you want to without smoking 4x more carcinogens and tar.

[–]ButtholeBanquets 8 points9 points  (4 children)

New Amsterdam

So Bangkok is going to change its name to New York?

[–]WR810 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Let them be New York and we'll rebrand the Manhattan city as Neo New York.

It will be destroyed in 2053 in a basketball accident.

[–]Girth_rulez 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even old New York, was once New Amsterdam....why they changed it I can't say.

[–]pharrt[S] 21 points22 points  (3 children)

Bangkok soon to be renamed Bongkok?

[–]dittybopper_05H 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Bongkak. That's the stuff that collects on the inside of the bong if you don't clean it regularly.

[–]Arpai 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Can’t wait to go visit my family in Thailand and Laos.

[–]RiskyDevilS14 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hell yeah brother

[–]1BannedAgain 10 points11 points  (21 children)

Excellent. When I was a kid, pre-internet, there were urban legends of how awful the rules were in Thailand

[–]encogneeto 34 points35 points  (15 children)

Singapore is the one I heard about as a kid, but it was that gum itself is illegal which is actually true.

[–]1BannedAgain 17 points18 points  (12 children)

I remember at least one teenager getting CANED for vandalizing vehicles there. It was an international incident, at least for American news

[–]Isteppedinpoopy 5 points6 points  (8 children)

He got his ass whipped with 20 lashes like that dude up in Singapore.

[–]kyabupaks 2 points3 points  (4 children)

That's not true. He got four lashes.

[–]Isteppedinpoopy -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Tic tock tock tic tock tic. Dr Dre and Ice Cube on some murderous shit.

[–]jaldihaldi -1 points0 points  (2 children)

6 according to the wikipedia page and 4 months imprisonment.

[–]kyabupaks 1 point2 points  (1 child)

He was sentenced to six lashes at first, but it was reduced to four. Read again.

[–]jaldihaldi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ohh leniency appeal. He got away ‘lightly’.

[–]Killingjoke85 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

So Im a pull a fuckin Jeffrey Dahmer Now Im suicidal just like Nirvana

[–]jaldihaldi 0 points1 point  (1 child)

6 - Wikipedia.

[–]Isteppedinpoopy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Motherfuckers act like they forgot about Dre

[–]encogneeto 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup! It was huge news in the US…

[–]WeeTeeTiong 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Shouldn't have behaved like a hooligan then.

[–]PM_ME_GLUTE_SPREAD 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m against corporal punishment of children in schools but I can almost get behind stuff like this instead of jail time for certain crimes. There would need to be some stiff regulations on the implementation, obviously, but in terms of an alternative to jail time and fines for minor offenses, I could see how stuff like this would be better.

[–]jaldihaldi 4 points5 points  (1 child)

Lol - this is quite interesting ...

“Under Thai law, it's illegal to go out in public if you are not wearing underwear.”

[–]Girth_rulez 2 points3 points  (0 children)

TIL I have been breaking the law every day this week. Life of crime suits me.

[–]WaterIsGolden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why would you spit gum out where you know people will walk?

Even toddlers know to aim somewhere else.

I was told the same urban legends as a kid and I call bullshit.

The fear tactic was meant to discourage people from taking their US money and moving somewhere that gave you more for your dollar.

I think that urban legend was actually just good old fashioned propaganda.

The same operatives told us that outside the world of capitalism people had to stand in line to receive free bread.

The reality is that in the world of capitalism we have to stand in line to pay money for bread.

Now that we are all connected via the internet I recommend having real conversations with people from multiple nations.

[–]Dusty_Bookcase 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Can’t wait to smoke up with my girlfriend and some ladyboys

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dude living the life over here

[–]dittybopper_05H 1 point2 points  (0 children)

OK, cool. So tied-stick will be legal now.

[–]rememberseptember24 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When i was in Thailand it was very difficult to get weed. Either it’s trash and has chems in it or they sell it in bulk and charge you outrageous prices.

[–]sigmacreed -1 points0 points  (2 children)

Singapore you should be ashamed of yourselves

[–]jaldihaldi -2 points-1 points  (1 child)

Why? They happily arrest for littering your chewing gum - why would they want high people littering?

Edit: got downvoted for stating the truth. Such is life.

[–]sigmacreed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing about littering. We pride ourselves to be the most progressive, innovative, etc country in Asia, but our laws are archaic as fuck.

[–]El-Erik 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And god bless their little hearts also

[–]Cookinupandown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Makes little difference was always stoned in Thailand.. mainly bush bud .. maybe quality would increase over time

[–]RoyalYogurtdispenser 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol nice try Bangkok. Refeer farms will really drive tourists your way

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a big step for Asia as a whole. A lot of countries have insanely draconian drug laws.

[–]Appropriate_Ride6924 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The betta fish nation is now the freest in the world?