Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Cannabis. Cannabis has been a topic that has been, I have been discussing it for some time now especially following the sort of legal evolution of Cannabis law and Cannabis regulation here in Thailand. I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Thailand's 6,000 ganja shops could now be under threat. Quoting directly, and I urge those who are watching this video go check out that article in detail.  Honestly a lot of the articles I have been reading lately from any of the press, a lot of my go-to sources if you will, a lot of them have been really weirdly hyperbolic about going after Cannabis. It is almost kind of like a nanny state kind of thinking - "we have got to protect people from themselves!" I made another video contemporaneously with this one where I kind of went into that, the whole notion of recreational use versus medicinal and as I said there, it's like nobody ever gets up in arms over recreational alcohol and that has been going on forever. I don't see what really the difference is. So again, quoting directly Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Thailand's 6,000 ganja shops could now be under threat. Quoting: "It will likely take up to a year for a new law to appear in the statute book." So starting with that, I don't know where that conclusion is coming from but I think it is perfectly feasible we could see a Cannabis Law put on the books even before the year is out. Parliament is open again and I think it is very possible; that is just my thinking. I could be wrong. Quoting further: "The expected clauses will emphasize protection of children and will likely detail new rules for Thai farmers growing Cannabis for sale after registration. There will likely too be a ban on smoking cafes and promotional slogans such as: "Have a high time here" or ”Come to the stars with us". Well, my next thing is, how do you legislate that? How do you enforce that? Like sayings, what is innocuous and what is not? I mean honestly, "come to the stars with us". There are restrictions in Thailand, I brought up alcohol earlier where advertising of alcohol is heavily restricted and things of that nature, but it is the logos of the product, it is not "have a drink on me". How do you restrict that? I don't get that. Quoting further: "But it is still far from clear that the selling, purchase and use of Cannabis by the public at large will once again automatically attract a prison sentence."

Well no, I don't think it's far from clear. I think it's pretty close to being clear, as close as we can get it. The policy thinking behind this has been pretty clear from the outset. Decriminalization, I don't even like that word but, not arresting and jailing people. I mean as soon as this came off the narcotics list there was a general amnesty against all the people that were in jail for marijuana related offenses, for cannabis related defenses prior to the legalization. It is pretty clear to me that the last thing that policy makers want right now is filling back up the jails and filling back up, putting on the taxpayer rolls effectively, a bunch of people who are engaged in matters pertaining to cannabis. And I think it is a very wise paradigm to have that look, at the end of the day, is this really this massive scourge? Not really. As we have seen, it has been like a year and a half now that it has been legal. There are shops, there have been issues, issues pertaining to nuisance, of smoking outdoors for example and I have made videos on that. Thai Law Enforcement has said "look, we don't want you smoking out in public places and things of that nature because it could be perceived as a nuisance",  but meanwhile we are not going to go raiding someone's house because they may be using their cannabis product in their home. That's not what anybody's looking to go for. And again I think this is a wise course of action, I think it is a very mature course of action, very commonsensical course of action. This is something that a sector of the economy we could see based on. We could see a major aspect of the Thai economy in the future being based on this, if nothing else as a cash crop let alone all the ancillary ways that it can be an economic benefit. So the point I am trying to make with respect to this video just sort of generally is one) I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility we could actually see legislation on this sooner rather than later. And then meanwhile yet again, I don't really understand why there's this sort of undercurrent of folks out there who just seem to have a very negative view toward this whole thing and don't see the positive benefits and also seem to want to over exaggerate the negative. That more than anything, yes there are downsides to this, that are downsides to legalization of Cannabis but I think a reasonable person can take stock of the last roughly 14 months, and say to themselves, look, at the end of the day the benefit far outweighs the cost to society here in the Kingdom of Thailand.