No, not even Thonglor police will bust anyone for weed: chief

Thick smoke accompanied open weed-smoking as revelers celebrated the legalization of cannabis Sunday at the Thailand 420: Legalaew event in western metro Bangkok. Photo: Chayanit Itthipongmaetee / Coconuts Bangkok

By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee

Jun 13, 2022 | 12:18pm Bangkok time

There is nothing illegal about weed and Thailand’s police – including those of the notorious Thonglor station – will no longer bust people for it, top officers confirmed.

Following last week’s legalization of marijuana, Maj. Gen. Roy Ingkapairoj, deputy commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, said people who possess or plant cannabis do not violate the law. He said they would enforce a ban on possession and consumption of extracts such as oils or dabs that exceed 0.2% of THC without permission or a medical prescription.

Seeking to dismiss any lingering doubts, the head of a police force infamous for stopping foreigners downtown for random drug tests told Coconuts this morning that his officers would follow suit.

Col. Duangchote Suwanjaras, chief of Thonglor Police, said this morning that he has instructed his officers to “accommodate” people during this “vacuum period” when no rules are in force because parliament has yet to pass new regulations under the proposed Cannabis Act.

Kajkanit “Gem” Sakdisubha weighs buds on a scale at his The Dispensary by Taratera in Silom area. Photo: Chayanit Itthipongmaetee / Coconuts Bangkok

“But please do not smoke in the public or exhale smoke into other people’s faces,” Duangchote said by phone on Monday morning. “For now, we will accommodate people who possess, buy, and sell buds.”

“Just do not smoke in the public,” he repeated. “We’re waiting for the [Cannabis Act] to be effective and from then we’ll know clearer guidelines of what you can do or cannot do.”

His father’s pain led him to cannabis. Now he sells it to help others in Silom.

Public nuisance laws are the only tool by which the authorities can police marijuana smoking, as Thursday’s complete delisting of cannabis as a controlled substance means that, for now, there isn’t even an age limit on sale or consumption.

In effect, there are no laws restricting cannabis in any way until lawmakers pass the Cannabis Act and it comes into force.

Duangchot said there have been no odor-based public nuisance complaints in the Thonglor area since cannabis was decriminalized.

Soranut ‘Beer’ Masayavanich at his own Sukhumweed dispensary in Soi Sukhumvit 42 in Bangkok. Photo: Chayanit Itthipongmaetee / Coconuts Bangkok

In one account from a Bangkok dispensary that could not be confirmed, police officers did arrive Thursday night – and went directly into the back to blaze up.

Thailand lights up as marijuana goes legal today (Photos)

People can also plant cannabis at home without fear of arrest, Duangchote said. He urged people to notify the authorities through the Plook Ganja app, though there is no legal requirement to do so. The website crashed Thursday.

The Thailand 420: Legalaew event on the weekend saw a few officials screening throughout the events to “ensure safety and peace.” They did not intervene with attendees who smoked weed.

The Food and Drug Administration on Sunday reported that more than 670,000 people registered such notifications via the app: about 649,000 for growing cannabis and more than 20,000 for hemp.