Drugs in Thailand

It must be easy to buy and use drugs in Thailand, with all the full moon parties and relaxed holiday atmosphere, right?

The Police aren't going to worry about a foreigner smoking a few joints, right?

Thai Customs will turn a blind eye if I decide to bring a bit of weed with me, right?

Wrong, wrong and wrong again!!!!!

The penalties for possessing and using illegal drugs can be harsh and include heavy fines or long prison sentences. It is also important to remember that Thailand stills carries the death penalty for drug trafficking.

So you may want to think twice before lighting that spliff!!!

If you are considering trafficking drugs in or out of the country, then you are a complete f*ckstick and need your head examined. The only advice I can offer you is to read the book, "The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison" by Warren Fellows and then read it again, just in case it didn't sink through your thick skull the first time.

If you are contemplating buying drugs for personal consumption in the Kingdom, then please be aware that it is illegal and you are playing with fire!!!! The dealer will probably be working as a police informant and there is a good chance you will be arrested in a "sting" operation and be forced to pay a significant amount to secure your release. In cases like this the money will usually be split between the police and the dealer.

In recent years there has been a marked increase in the number of raids on discos, bars, or nightclubs looking for drug users. During the raids, Police will typically check the ID's of all customers in the establishment and then make each person provide a urine sample to be checked for narcotics. Foreign tourists are not excused from these checks, and anyone whose urine tests positive for drugs is arrested and charged. If you fail to co-operate, by refusing to provide a sample then you will also be arrested.

If you are particularly unlucky and are unable to bribe your way out of a drugs-related arrest then you will be looking at a lengthy stay in prison. Thai prisons are extremely unpleasant places and not like the holiday camps that masquerade as prisons in the UK!!!!

Once you have served your time or paid your fine, you will then be deported and the chances are you will also be blacklisted, which means you will never be able to visit Thailand again.

So, that £10 bag of weed could turn out to be quite costly!!!!

The following website and blog provides some very interesting perspectives about the Thai Penal system....

http://www.thaiprisonlife.com/

An equally informative site on this matter is......

http://www.bangkwang.net/index.htm

I would like to add at this point, that I have absolutely no sympathy for anyone who gets caught using drugs or trying to smuggle them into Thailand, they deserve everything they get!!!

As a word of caution to any travellers who are using prescribed drugs, it is always wise to have your doctor's prescription with you, to prove the medication is genuine, in the event of you being stopped and searched by law enforcement officials. This should hopefully prevent any squeeky-bum moments!!!!

If you are interested in finding out more about the penalties for drug smuggling in other parts of South East Asia the folloing link is well worth a read.....

http://goseasia.about.com/od/travelplanning/a/seasia_drugs.htm

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