Cannabis-stealing school principal thought plants were free

A principal at a well-known school vehemently denied stealing a cannabis plant from a MotoGP event over the weekend, but backtracked when police presented security footage of the theft. The incident took place at the Chang International Circuit in Buri Ram on Saturday, where the newly-legalised plants were being stored for an event meant to promote cannabis tourism. The principal, when presented with CCTV footage tried to explain it was all a misunderstanding.

In an effort to educate and encourage cannabis tourism, the Province’s Agriculture Administrative was storing 1,000 cannabis trees behind an office building onsite, planning to display them later at the event that weekend. Worried that some tourists from countries where the plant is still illegal might be tempted to take advantage of the opportunity, security cameras were installed to guard the cannabis.

Unaware of this, the school principal who, police noted, holds a doctorate degree, helped himself to a tree. Officers who were tasked with trimming the plants reported seeing a black truck drive up to the cannabis. Five people got out and loaded one of the trees into the truck, driving off without a word to anyone onsite. Security footage captured the incident clearly enough to read the license plate off the truck, so when officials notified the police, it was not hard to track down the principal who owned the truck that drove off with the cannabis.

When police contacted the principal, who works at a popular school in Buri Ram, he was indignant, denying having snatched the cannabis, and even daring police to try to file charges. His tune quickly changed though when the police officer explained to the principal that they had video footage of the plant theft and his truck.

The organisation in charge of the trees gave leniency to the highly educated principal, saying that they had not yet filed an official police report and would not do so as long as the cannabis plant was returned to the circuit to which it belong. The principal who downplayed the incident by saying, “I will return it, it is just one cannabis tree,” took a very flippant attitude to Thai media when they asked him about the theft.

“This is all a misunderstanding. I thought they were giving it away for free. I heard about it and went to get one. I will return it if I have some free time.”

SOURCE: Thai Residents

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