Thailand News Today | Thai cannabis regulations – What you can and can’t do
A cannabis frenzy swept over Thailand after the government removed it from the narcotics list on June 6. After a confusing initial rollout, here’s where the country currently stands and what you can and can’t do.
If you’re wondering whether you can smoke and consume cannabis in Thailand, the short answer is yes. With the new law, anyone over the age of 20 can possess and use cannabis — but with some rules. Lighting up a joint in a public space can cost you a hefty fine of up to 25,000 baht and face a jail sentence of up to three months.
It’s legal for cafes and restaurants to serve cannabis-infused products. That is, as long as the cannabis extract in the products contains less than 0.2% THC, which is the primary psychoactive compound that makes you high. Extracts that contain more than 0.2% of THC are still illegal. The non-psychoactive CBD compound, on the other hand, is less controlled.
Cannabis flowers aren’t considered extracts, so they don’t have to contain less than 0.2% THC. This is why you can find many businesses offering high THC cannabis flowers over the counter and even via delivery.
From cannabis-infused Thai curries and pizzas to cannabis brownies and gummies, the options of cannabis products continue to grow. That’s why it’s pretty easy to find a business offering “relaxing” treats, while many businesses offer delivery as well under the condition that they ID you upon delivery to make sure that you’re not under 20 years old or pregnant.
Meanwhile, the Thai parliament is now considering a more comprehensive draft law on cannabis regulation, with new government bills introduced to clear blurred lines. Advocates predict that the laws governing use will become more relaxed in the upcoming years. Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand’s Public Health Minister, also stated that he was open to the further liberalisation of the plant.
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The Thai Cabinet is extending the country’s excise diesel tax cut for another two months after diesel prices hit Thailand hard this year. The amount of five baht per litre will be extended from September 21 to November 20.
The elimination of excise tax on bio-diesel and bunker oil used to generate power will also continue from September 16 to March 15 next year. The Director-General of the Revenue Department, Ekniti Nitthanprapas, said the cut is necessary to relieve the burden on consumers and businesses.
Government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said on Tuesday that the cabinet also approved a 300 million baht cooking gas subsidy, which will be implemented between October and December this year.
This news comes after Thailand has already spent over 200 billion baht on subsidies for diesel and gas. Thailand’s current diesel price is almost 35 baht per litre. But even prices lower than this have been considered too high by many. In April, when the price cap went from 30 to 32 baht per litre, angry truck drivers rallied in front of the Government House in Bangkok.
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A transgender YouTuber, Nisamanee Lertworapong, or Nat, faced a backlash of negative comments from Thai netizens after she taught a naughty Thai word to a Singaporean friend and insulted the kingdom’s women with a sexist statement.
Nat is a famous Thai YouTuber and beauty blogger with about 1.84 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.7 million followers on her Facebook page.
The video that caused drama among Thai netizens was posted last Tuesday, September 3. The video featured her trip to Singapore and the street food stalls and shops she tried with her friends.
Nat invited her Singaporean friend to be her guide in recommending must-try street food stores in the country.
In a part of the video, Nisamanee taught her Singaporean friend to say เงี่ยน (ngean) which in Thai means horny. Nisamanee told her friend…
“When you meet someone who looks good, you can say, wow! I’m ngean (เงี่ยน or horny).”
It offended some netizens who said Nat should not teach foreigners words like that.
Aside from teaching Thai words, some netizens caught Nat saying something sexist. She said…
“Thai women don’t have much money. Transwomen are better girlfriends because they are rich and can give money to a man.”
A number of Thai women and transwomen said she was being sexist and insulting toward Thai women. Some netizens commented…
Some netizens agreed that though the content was inappropriate and sexist, in the end, it was just harmless and entertaining stuff.
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A 72-year-old man from Trang province in southern Thailand says that Thai country music, or “Luk Thung,” is the key to a successful frog farm. Not only do frogs love country music, but it makes them healthier, stronger and grow faster, he claims.
Rit has been raising frogs for five years and he says they can’t live without Luk Thung. He says that when he turns the music off, the frogs become aggressive.
Without country music, the frogs jump out of their pen, attack each other and even eat each other, he said.
As soon as the music starts, the frogs settle down, close their eyes and drift off to sleep, said Rit. It calms them right down.
The frog farmer said there is good money in raising frogs to sell. He raises the frogs for three to four months, then sells them. He said he makes tens of thousands of baht from each generation of frogs, which he raises in ten ponds.
He said it’s easy money for an elderly man because he doesn’t have to leave his house to sell the frogs. He said he has plenty of customers who come to his house to buy frogs.
Rit said he has gone through ten radios while raising frogs and has recently bought more spares in case the power goes out.
Grilled frog is a popular dish all over Thailand. However, the safety of consuming frog meat is debated.
In May, Thailand’s Department of Health issued a warning that “bullfrog shots” could contain parasites after the dish was gaining popularity on social media. The department said that “bullfrog shots” – cooked bullfrog, spicy sauce and dried chilli served in a shot glass – could contain parasites and make you very ill if not cooked properly.
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Volunteers in Thailand’s northern province of Uttaradit are dressing up as superheroes for a fruit fair held in the main city district this week from September 13-22. The volunteers are working with police to entertain children in their Spiderman, Hulk, Venom, and Captain America costumes. They are also helping children and elderly people cross the road to the fair.
The police and volunteers have been on alert for potential fights involving teenagers going to the fair to see concerts there. A station commander said they dispatched a mobile detention van to the scene to warn concertgoers to behave themselves.
A video posted on Uttaradit Police’s Facebook shows the ‘superheroes’ listening to instructions from the police, and acting as their characters.
The One Tambon One Product Fruit Fair has been held for 36 years. The fair promotes high-quality and safe local agriculture and ecotourism. For the opening of the fair, farmers competed in a contest over their fruits and vegetables. There was also a clothing design contest for local weavers displaying clothes that could be worn every day.
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