Anyone with even a passing interest in international news or specifically regarding south-east Asia and Thailand, will be familiar with the notorious drug war launched a few years ago by the Thaksin government. Since that time there has been a second drug war and a 3rd one is looming. The condemnations are barely heard now as Thaksin has outlawed any reporting on the statistics regarding those killed. I've harped on this numerous times and I won't go into details again.
3, 000 killed extra-judicially in 3 months (with the laughable claim that only a dozen or so were done in by the police), many with identical envelopes of speed tablets and similar handguns found next to their corpses, sums up the brutality and underlying mentality guiding such campaigns.
Anyone who uses drugs is only ever a few steps removed from a dealer of some sort, regardless of whether a few joints or pills are being handed on to them by a friend who made the transaction.
The belief that being slightly removed from any dealing activities somehow insulates a person from the horseshit that is inevitably associated, is a sentiment I have long sensed from most drug users. While in many countries dealing is now the only illegal aspect of the drug subculture (at least regarding marijuana), in Thailand possession is still a very serious crime that can result in a length of sentence similar to that which a person would face for manslaughter in the west.
Once in the orbit of anyone who is providing you with drugs, you are beholden to that person to a certain degree. Add into the mix the fact that your judgement is undoubtedly skewed because of the usage and you are receptive to suggestions and requests from such individuals. If someone is leaning on them, what qualms would they have against using you in any possible way so as to lessen their potential plight or punishment?
There are numerous examples of Brits, Australians, yanks and other foreigners banged up in Thailand for getting involved in the drug scene. Bangkok's Bang Kwang prison is full of western fools who thought they were immune from consequences.
Article comments
1 - ton
hello to all i can only say dont go to the Shit country thailand its bad country and the police is self involve of drugs i have self ones a problem i carry 2 gram marijuana i buy it in pataya and than i going with bus to bangkok there in bangkok i get motor taxi aqnd after 500 moters drive 8 poilice man stop us and want see my bag and found 2 gram marijuana the arest me and say the will put me in jail for 2 months or two years the say if i pay 50.000 thausend bad than i not need to go jail i play with the police and let thim belief that i pay the get my bank card and id and told me to widraw all money from my bank thai bank there was only 4 thausend bath i pay it to thim than the bring me to a restaurant and told me i allowed to go back to pattaya toget the 50 thausend but and most be back in 45 hours in bangkok the get my cell phone number it was 10 pm the time the let me go and the say 2 am i most be back in bkk to pay thim than 2 am rthe call me where i.m i say i wait for my friend who barrow me the 50 thausend bath but i lai to thim i want only win time so that i can escape from thailand i promisse thim to bring the money around 5 pm the fallowing day but the i was left already thailand i past the border to laos swo fuck thim the thais . a nother story is the thais hate us farlang yes the call us farlang my advice to every body dont go to thailand the have absurd law and its not good there 1000 of foreigners are for long time in jail there , so and if u want smoke a marijuana than go to cambodia or laos there is marijuana no problem the see it as a soft drugs
2 - Geoff
Wow I guess I will stay far away from the herbs while I'm visiting Thailand. Actually its probably a good idea to stay away from any type of illegal activities no matter where you happen to be. I'm just hoping it's not going to be shady to the point where you could get mixed up with the cops for no reason other than being from a different country. Anyway I will do my best to steer clear of any compromising situations while I'm over there and hopefully have a nice vacation.
Joy to the world!!!!
BTW if you want to smoke really good weed without getting locked up then you should go to the California. Best weed in the USA and safest place to smoke a J...LOL
3 - Skyler
[Edited] Thanks for telling us that smoking weed is Thailand is risky, but did you have to degrade all weed smokers as complete fucking idiots?
I know that weed is illegal in most countries on earth, so do you really think I'm going to be nonchalant about smoking weed in public in a country that I'm not from that sends people to jail for multiple years for having bud on them? Hell no. Everybody who has smoked weed knows that it is healthier and safer than alcohol, and as much as we would like to stand up and shout to the world how wrong they are, we know we have to be careful. But holy fucking shit, you talk as if drug users are morons, but many of us are scholars and intellects who care about our well-being and who are careful to flaunt our drug habits to just anybody.
Thanks for the advice whoever Finkle, but shut the fuck up and smoke some weed before you start making ridiculous accusations and stereotypes over people who do use harmless drugs like weed. Approximately 85,000 people die in the U.S. every year from alcohol insinuated incidents. 17,000 from illicit drug use. 0 deaths accounted for the use of marijuana. According to you, I'm some hood rat who just can't wait to start makin deals in thailand and bragging to all my friends about it. Oh wait. Maybe I like to smoke casually with my friends to have a fun and relaxing time. But if the country's laws say that I can't smoke it, then I won't. In the U.S. I don't give a shit, (and I believe that marijuana will be legalized in my lifetime,) but I'm not about to make a statement in Thailand. Won't stop me from living there for a while, because the culture and beauty is enough for me.
[Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]