2 weeks ago
6
Thai officials connected Wednesday vowed to tighten regulations connected income of cannabis aft cases of tourists attempting to smuggle the cause retired of the state soared successful caller months
BANGKOK -- Thai officials connected Wednesday said they planned to tighten regulations connected cannabis income aft cases of tourists attempting to smuggle the cause retired of the state soared successful caller months.
Thailand became the archetypal state successful Asia to decriminalize cannabis successful 2022, which has boosted Thailand’s tourism and farming and spawned thousands of shops. But it’s facing nationalist backlash implicit allegations that under-regulation has made the cause disposable to children and caused addiction.
The ruling Pheu Thai Party has promised to criminalize the drugs again, but faced beardown absorption from its spouse successful the conjugation authorities which supported the decriminalization.
Thailand’s Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said astatine a property league that officials are aiming to rotation retired caller regulations successful coming weeks that volition tighten power connected the merchantability of cannabis, including requiring shops to merchantability cannabis lone to customers who person a prescription.
He emphasized that it is against Thai instrumentality to bring cannabis retired of the state without support from the authorities.
Airport officials said they person tightened inspections to observe smuggling attempts, adding that astir radical recovered with cannabis successful their luggage are foreigners, particularly Indian and British nationals.
Last week 2 young British women were arrested successful Georgia and Sri Lanka for alleged attempts to smuggle cannabis aft they flew determination from Thailand, according to the British media.
Britain's authorities said a associated cognition with Thailand successful February resulted successful implicit 2 tons of cannabis seized from aerial passengers. It said that since July past year, implicit 50 British nationals had been arrested successful Thailand for attempting to smuggle cannabis.
It besides said determination was a melodramatic summation successful the magnitude of cannabis sent to the U.K. from Thailand by station since the decriminalization successful 2022.
In March migration authorities and constabulary said 22 suitcases filled with a full of 375 kilograms of cannabis were seized, and 13 foreigners, astir of them British, were arrested astatine the planetary airdrome connected the Samui Island.
Thai officials said the suspects were hired to question to Thailand arsenic tourists past traveled to Samui, a fashionable tourer destination, wherever they would hold astatine the arranged accommodation to person the suitcases with cannabis. They would past beryllium instructed to question from Samui to Singapore, and past from Singapore backmost to the U.K., wherever they would beryllium paid 2,000 pounds ($2,682) upon completing the job.
English (US) ·