Thailand’s ‘weed wild west’ faces new rules as smuggling to UK rises

Thailand is trying to find the marijuana market.

His government has approved new measures that have entered into force on Wednesday limiting the sale of drugs to those with a doctor’s recipe, hoping to help regulate the industry describing some control.

The public health minister in the southeastern Asian people also said that marijuana consumption would be blamed again, although it was unclear when it could happen.

Since the medicine is deciminalized in 2022. years, there was a flax of investment.

Now about 11,000 registered cannabis sprayers in Thailand. In the parts of the capital Bangkok, it is impossible to escape the lurid green reflection of their neon signs and the permanent smell of people smoking their products.

In the famous Backpacker district of Khao San Road, in the historical royal district, there is a whole mall dedicated to the sale of hallucinogenic flower heads or car accessories.

Derivative products such as more numbers and gummies offer open online – although it is technically illegal – and can be delivered to your door within an hour.

He spoke there about limiting the industry before. The biggest party in the ruling coalition wanted to return cannabis to the list of prescribed narcotics after taking office in 2023. years, but is a former coalition partner who enrolled the decriminalization of the signature policy, blocked this plan.

The final straw seems to have been pressure from Great Britain, which saw the flood of Thailand marijuana, which is a smuggling in the ground.

It is often young passengers who are lured by drugs in Britain in carrying suitcases that are filled with it on flights from Thailand.

Last month, two young British women were arrested in Georgia and Sri Lanka with large amounts of marijuana from Thailand. They both face long prison penalties.

“Mass increases in the last few years,” Beki Vright, spokesman at the National Crime Agency in London. NCA says 142 couriers who carry five tons are intercepted in 2023. Years. This number shot up to 800 couriers in 2024. years that was in 2024. Years worn 26 tons and that number was still rising.

“We really want to stop people to do,” says “Mrs. Wright.” Because if you are stopped, in this country or many others, face the consequences that change life, for something that many of them think is a low risk. If you bring unlawful medications in the UK, you may go through the first time, but in the end you will find yourself and eventually you will find in prison. ”

So far, 173 people have been charged with cannabis smuggling – almost everything from Thailand – it passed through the court system in the UK and received sentences of 230 years.

NCA cooperates with Thai authorities to try to distract young people to be tempted to smuggle cannabis in Britain. But this proved difficult, due to several regulations that exist in Thailand for the drug control.

“This is a hole,” says Panthong Loikulnant, a spokesman for Thai Customs Department of Thailand.

“Profit is very high, but punishments are not high here. Most of the time, when we catch people at the airport. But there is no punishment, but we do not arrest them, but we do not arrest them.”

Legalization of cannabis in 2022 should be due to the adoption of a new regulatory framework of Thailand.

But it never happened, partly, says that one deputy is involved in the drafting process, due to obstruction assigned to the interests of the marijuana industry. Last year, a new Law on Canabis was created, but that could be two years ago from transmission.

The result was a wild west weed, where almost everything she could earn from marijuana, he tolerated.

There was also inflows of foreign drugs that hide behind Thai nominated, growing huge amounts of marijuana efforts in brightly lighted, air conditioned containers.

This flooded the market and drove the price down, which is what it attracted smugglers.

Even if more than half carried marijuana stops, they can still earn from what goes to the UK due to much larger prices.

“You can’t have free-for everything, doesn’t it become a fight, not a boxing match,” says Tom Kruesopon, a businessman who was instrumental in marijuana legalization, but now he thinks things too far away.

“The weed store on each corner, when people smoke while walking down the street, when tourists are getting high on our beaches, other countries [are] In the affectedness of our laws, it illegally delivered to people – these are negative. “

He claims that the proposed new regulations of the Ministry of Public Health will limit the offer and demand and restore the industry on what was always should be directed exclusively on medical use of marijuana.

There are a lot of opposition to this term from cannabis enthusiasts that believe the new rules will do anything to express smuggling or unlicensed breeding.

They say the measures will erase small discs that are already fighting due to stupid caused by excessive production.

Earlier this month, many of these smaller breeders dropped to the Prime Minister in Bangkok to provide a formal complaint with the Government, calling for the sensing regulated industry, not only what the reaction of Knee-Cretens believe.

“I completely understand that the government is likely to yell during international meetings,” says Kitty Chopak, the most important advocate for smaller producers.

“Countries that say that” all your weeds are smuggled in our country “, it is not rather embarrassing. If they already exist. If they did, it would probably alleviate a lot of questions like smuggling or selling.”

The collapse of prices made the beginning of this year to close their cannabis dispensar, one of the first to open three years ago.

Parinia Sangprasert, one of the breeders in protests, claims that illegal growers are already operating outside the law in Thailand – and ignoring and new regulations.

He is emphasized that people can’t come to his farm and just buy 46kg (£ 101) marijuana – a quantity that usually carries in two “mule” suitcases trying to reach the UK.

He showed a copy of the official shape on his phone, which must fill in every time he moves for sale.

“If you want to buy or sell a large amount of cannabis, you need a license issued by our government. Each weed store must get this to buy marijuana and there are records of which by farm and who is sold.”

Meanwhile, Thai customs officers continue to seek their efforts to put the flood of cannabis even though their airports.

They use intelligence collected on travel patterns to target potential smugglers and distracts from checking in their luggage.

They are increasingly using the purchase permit, selling or export amounts of marijuana to prosecute those who intercept, but the penalty is rarely than a fine.

And sequestered suitcases, filled with vacuum packages dried marijuana head, with names like “Runtz” and “Zkittle”, still piling into the airports room. It was about 200 in one room, the BBC is allowed, which contains between two to three tons, seized in the past month.