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Thailand legalizes medicinal marijuana in New Year’s ‘gift’
- lukkreung 8y agoThe ruling junta is pulling out all the stops to garner support before the February elections (first one since the latest coup 4 years ago). They've rigged it so heavily in their favor and they still seem to worry it may not be enough. Literally calling it a gift takes away any pretense that this isn't what this is about.
- woah 8y agoA truly devious political machination: doing what your constituents want.
- kanwisher 8y agoMilitary is already guaranteed a large portion of the congress. But I think regardless we will see a massive shakeup in the elected figures, there are a lot of new parties springing up. Also the way Thai elections work where you vote for parties, means each of the smaller parties will hold some seats
- adetrest 8y agoPolitics aside, this is quite a 7mu turn from a place where weed (and any other drug) would previously net you the death penalty.
- adetrest 8y agoI can't edit my comment but I misread. Death penalty is in other Asian countries, not Thailand.
- WaddyJones 8y agoIt’s really not that much of a turn. Drugs are effectively decriminalized in several Thai localities
- xiphias2 8y agoYou can go to any bar on a vacation in Thailand and just ask for Marijuana. They wouldn't sell it so easily if there would be a death penalty. Anyways police is so corrupt you have to pay them sometimes even if you did nothing illegal (I was a jet ski scam victim, and went to the police...later I found out that I should have gone to the tourist police)
- rjf72 8y agoTrafficking or major dealing in drugs can get the death penalty. But small scale use is often little more than a "fine". One major exception is yaba. It's a sort of metamphetamine that's associated with unpredictable behavior. A couple of decades ago the drug was gaining enormous popularity, was dirt cheap (going for pennies per pill), and contributing to a wide array of social ails and crime. At this point the prime minister of Thailand went 'Duterte' on dealers with purging of all drug dealing and corruption related elements that at times involved summary execution. It was a hugely successful campaign that sent the price of the drug skyrocketing and its consumption to negligible levels. It also helped gain him widespread popular support. I think this event is what really solidified Thailand's anti-drug image.