5 ms·

In Thailand, traditional cannabis cuisine is back on the menu

klyrs 6y ago
Neat. I've often wondered about the culinary use of marijuana, as it does have a rather pungent savory flavor. But where to get it? The trouble with legalization, rather than decriminalization, is that approved uses of marijuana are quite limited. The trim isn't psychoactive, so it should reasonably be legal to sell at a farmer's market, but I can't imagine it would be acceptable to sell a bundle to a kid. Or, should you sprinkle some into a pot of stew for a family dinner, one might expect a stern visit from CPS.
- worik 6y ago
  "trim" is so psychoactive. Because it is not as psychoactive as the flowers does not make it non-psychoactive
  - klyrs 6y ago
    Ah, fair enough, I've only got experience with the flowers.
- pengaru 6y ago
  With legalization I encounter potted Marijuana plants more often than Basil, this is not a problem. Weeds are the easiest thing grow at home.
- thaumasiotes 6y ago
  > The trouble with legalization, rather than decriminalization I'm always intrigued that drug advocacy draws a careful distinction between "decriminalization" (the conduct becomes legal) and "legalization" (the conduct stays mostly illegal), while prostitution advocacy draws the same distinction between the same words, but swaps the meanings.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - curryst 6y ago
    I'm not aware of that reversal. In the jargon I'm used to for drug advocacy, "decriminalization" refers to removing criminal penalties for possession. It may still be illegal, but it is a civil offense (think traffic ticket) rather than a criminal one. "Legalization" refers to making it entirely illegal; there are no fines or criminal penalties for possession.
santiagobasulto 6y ago
Cannabis seems to have SO many useful applications, and yet, it’s still illegal in most places. What’s going on? Is it either “not so useful” and all this I usually read (combating pain, helping autism, parkinson and others) is just publicity, or there’s truly some higher level lobby going on for it not to be legalized? Btw, I don’t consume Cannabis in any form, so this is a genuine question.
- remexre 6y ago
  Not a (drug) policy expert by any means, but my speculation is that drug legalization is too much of a "soft on crime" move to be politically viable in most places. Note that this doesn't require that a majority of people are anti-legalization, but rather that enough (as few as a percent or two in a swing district) won't vote for you / will vote for your opponent under any circumstances if you vote for legalization, whereas you're not particularly likely to pick up new votes from it.
- worik 6y ago
  A accident of history, combined with some of the less savoury parts of the human character. Cannabis was hardly known in the USA in the 1930s, and when alcohol was re-legalised the prohibition agents, who had a vast infrastructure, needed work. Henry Anslinger picked on pot as it was widely used by Mexicans so they would be able to work more freely. Trouble with alcohol prohibition is rich white people, who then and now, have the political power, drink. Mexicans could be "othered". In the 1970s when it started to be more popular amongst the counter culture types prosecuting pot was a way of beating on the "dirty hippies". The meme that "drugs are bad" made it into our collective consciousness and we have been trying to root it out (seemingly one funeral at a time). That is from my memory but my main source for that is "Chasing teh Screem" by Johann Hari
  - alexmingoia 6y ago
    Yes, this combined with the fact that US and British drug policy was exported everywhere in the 20th century, especially after WWII with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (which morphed into UNDCP), and before that with the Paris Convention. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Convention_on_Narcotic_Drugs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Convention_on_Narcoti... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_Limiting_the_Manufacture_and_Regulating_the_Distribution_of_Narcotic_Drugs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_Limiting_the_...
calt 6y ago
It's hard to understate Thailand's herb culture. They're salad, they're medicine, they're garnish, they're everywhere. In many monasteries monks that aren't otherwise allowed to eat after noon can even have a medicinal herb salad.
sn41 6y ago
Related: poppy seeds are used in Indian cuisine [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy_seed#Indian_cuisine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy_seed#Indian_cuisine
- rad_gruchalski 6y ago
  And in Europe: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy_seed_roll https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy_seed_roll But growing the plants is a no no.
BelenusMordred 6y ago
If you actually want to get high go across the border to Cambodia and find a happy pizza store. They are all over the place and trade openly. It is legal as a foodstuff.

Neat. I've often wondered about the culinary use of marijuana, as it does have a rather pungent savory flavor. But where to get it? The trouble with legalization, rather than decriminalization, is that approved uses of marijuana are quite limited. The trim isn't psychoactive, so it should reasonably be legal to sell at a farmer's market, but I can't imagine it would be acceptable to sell a bundle to a kid. Or, should you sprinkle some into a pot of stew for a family dinner, one might expect a stern visit from CPS.

worik 6y ago
"trim" is so psychoactive. Because it is not as psychoactive as the flowers does not make it non-psychoactive
- klyrs 6y ago
  Ah, fair enough, I've only got experience with the flowers.
pengaru 6y ago
With legalization I encounter potted Marijuana plants more often than Basil, this is not a problem. Weeds are the easiest thing grow at home.
thaumasiotes 6y ago
> The trouble with legalization, rather than decriminalization I'm always intrigued that drug advocacy draws a careful distinction between "decriminalization" (the conduct becomes legal) and "legalization" (the conduct stays mostly illegal), while prostitution advocacy draws the same distinction between the same words, but swaps the meanings.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- curryst 6y ago
  I'm not aware of that reversal. In the jargon I'm used to for drug advocacy, "decriminalization" refers to removing criminal penalties for possession. It may still be illegal, but it is a civil offense (think traffic ticket) rather than a criminal one. "Legalization" refers to making it entirely illegal; there are no fines or criminal penalties for possession.

santiagobasulto 6y ago

Cannabis seems to have SO many useful applications, and yet, it’s still illegal in most places. What’s going on? Is it either “not so useful” and all this I usually read (combating pain, helping autism, parkinson and others) is just publicity, or there’s truly some higher level lobby going on for it not to be legalized? Btw, I don’t consume Cannabis in any form, so this is a genuine question.

remexre 6y ago
Not a (drug) policy expert by any means, but my speculation is that drug legalization is too much of a "soft on crime" move to be politically viable in most places. Note that this doesn't require that a majority of people are anti-legalization, but rather that enough (as few as a percent or two in a swing district) won't vote for you / will vote for your opponent under any circumstances if you vote for legalization, whereas you're not particularly likely to pick up new votes from it.
worik 6y ago
A accident of history, combined with some of the less savoury parts of the human character. Cannabis was hardly known in the USA in the 1930s, and when alcohol was re-legalised the prohibition agents, who had a vast infrastructure, needed work. Henry Anslinger picked on pot as it was widely used by Mexicans so they would be able to work more freely. Trouble with alcohol prohibition is rich white people, who then and now, have the political power, drink. Mexicans could be "othered". In the 1970s when it started to be more popular amongst the counter culture types prosecuting pot was a way of beating on the "dirty hippies". The meme that "drugs are bad" made it into our collective consciousness and we have been trying to root it out (seemingly one funeral at a time). That is from my memory but my main source for that is "Chasing teh Screem" by Johann Hari
- alexmingoia 6y ago
  Yes, this combined with the fact that US and British drug policy was exported everywhere in the 20th century, especially after WWII with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (which morphed into UNDCP), and before that with the Paris Convention. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Convention_on_Narcotic_Drugs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Convention_on_Narcoti... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_Limiting_the_Manufacture_and_Regulating_the_Distribution_of_Narcotic_Drugs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_Limiting_the_...

calt 6y ago

It's hard to understate Thailand's herb culture. They're salad, they're medicine, they're garnish, they're everywhere. In many monasteries monks that aren't otherwise allowed to eat after noon can even have a medicinal herb salad.

sn41 6y ago

Related: poppy seeds are used in Indian cuisine [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy_seed#Indian_cuisine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy_seed#Indian_cuisine

rad_gruchalski 6y ago
And in Europe: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy_seed_roll https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy_seed_roll But growing the plants is a no no.

BelenusMordred 6y ago

If you actually want to get high go across the border to Cambodia and find a happy pizza store. They are all over the place and trade openly. It is legal as a foodstuff.