BANGKOK: The sale of cannabis and cannabis-related items by street vendors is illegal, and it is the police’s job to take legal action against lawbreaker, according to Wasan Boonmuenwai, the district head of Phra Nakhon.
Mr. Wasan was speaking after Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt claimed he smelled marijuana while out on a jog close to Khao San Road, a well-known nightlife hotspot, in the district.
Anutin Charnvirakul, the minister of public health, subsequently call on law enforcement agents to detain those who were trading cannabis and cannabis-related items on the street.
District authorities may notify the police if sales occur in public places, according to Mr. Wasan, despite the fact that they are unable to conduct arrests. Thessakij inspectors are frequently dispatched to patrol Khao San Road by Phra Nakhon district officials in two shifts each day from 9 am to 6 pm and 6 pm to 6 am. Inspections are carried out with the assistance of military and police authorities from Chana Songkhram during the second shift. The cops frequently keep an eye out for persons using marijuana in public. These smokers might face immediate charges if discovered.
The 200 vendors on Khao San Road, according to Mr. Wasan, have been given permits to sell food, drinks, clothing, jewelry, and accessories. He claimed that investigators discovered four stores on Khao San Road that sold cannabis-related products.
The recent decriminalization of cannabis, according to Yada Pornpetrampa, President of the Bangkok and Khao San Road Vendors Association, is more detrimental to tourism than beneficial. She claimed that tales of tourists becoming sick after smoking marijuana on Khao San Road were being circulated on social media. The smell of marijuana may deter families from visiting because parents are worried about exposing their kids to dangerous chemicals.
