Hazy highway: Foreign duo sparks backlash for road trip cannabis cruise in Sukhumvit, Bangkok

Two foreign men faced criticism from Thai netizens after a video of them smoking cannabis on a motorcycle on a road in the Sukhumvit neighbourhood of Bangkok went viral on social media.

The Twitter account, Red Skull, shared a video of the two foreigners yesterday, November 26. They were reportedly riding in Soi Sukhumvit 23 near the popular entertainment venue, Soi Cowboy.

The foreign passenger, wearing a light-coloured shirt, was seen in the video holding a ganja bong, smoking and releasing the smoke. The passenger then handed the bong to his friend on the motorbike, who smoked it.

Thai netizens agreed that the two seemed proud of their action and were trying to show off their ganja bong to other motorists. Some netizens expressed their disapproval of the foreigners, while others complained that the government’s measures were not effective enough to control cannabis use.

A number of netizens specifically targeted Deputy Prime Minister and former Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, as Anutin and his party, Bhumjaithai, initiated the idea of legalising cannabis for medical purposes. Netizens commented…

“This is the result of the free use of cannabis.”

“Anutin should look at this. This is for medical use?”

“Thailand’s soft power, right?”

“How long is Thailand going to let this happen?”

“They dare to do this because they can only do it in Thailand.”

According to the law, cannabis can only be used for medical purposes and must be used in a medical centre or in a private place. Using cannabis for personal pleasure and in public places is considered illegal.

Using cannabis in a public place can result in imprisonment of up to three months, a fine of up to 25,000 baht, or both, according to sections 27, 28/1 and 74 of the Public Health Act.

Police officers and relevant departments have not yet taken action on this issue.

อ่าห์……ฟิน…. pic.twitter.com/naI6QInFjw

— Red Skull (@RedSkullxxx) November 26, 2023