whoami Posted September 18, 2013 (edited) Just came across this, sorry if its already been posted: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/thailand/130916/kratom-bangkok-thailand-leafy-stimulant-drug-meth-opium As illicit drugs go, Southeast Asias leafy plant kratom is hardly ideal for thrill seekers. Those who chew its sour-tasting leaves catch a rush that nulls pain and jolts the senses like double shots of espresso. After about 20 minutes, the effects have faded. Yet media portrayals in both the US and the plants native Thailand typically depict a drug thats either mysteriously menacing or downright satanic. A headline in the top-selling paper Kom Chad Luek screams: Staggering kratom-drunk kid kills parents horrifically. Other outlets report tales of Islamic militants downing a brew made of kratom, Coca-Cola, cough syrup all flecked with the ashes of cremated corpses. In America, where kratom (pronounced krah-TOHM) remains legal in most states but stuck on a federal watch list, a Louisiana state senator told a regional TV news station this year that kratom could wind up killing a child or blowing a childs mind forever. An ABC News affiliate in Michigan warns ominously that what you dont know could hurt your children. Most reports casually mention kratom alongside bath salts, a totally unrelated synthetic meth-style stimulant banned last year by the federal government. But as America grapples with a kratom scare Indiana has banned it and lawmakers in other states hope to follow suit Thailand is moving in the opposite direction. Justice Minister Chaikasem Nitsiri is pushing senior officials to end a 70-year-old ban on kratom enacted under a dubious pretense: kratom once helped opium users kick addiction in an era when the government raked in lucrative opium taxes. In interviews with the domestic press, the minister has said the leaf could help wean Thais off meth, which has exploded in popularity across Southeast Asia. The legal status of kratom is now under review in Thailand. Theres never been a single deat Edited September 18, 2013 by whoami Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leaves Posted September 18, 2013 (edited) I thought the laws in thailand had already changed and stated something along the lines of 'kratom users must not be discriminated against' then goes on to explain it was made illegal because it was seen as a threat to the Thailand governments opium trade back in the 1940's. Kratom is a big threat to the bullshit mental illness drugs & pain drugs the west tries to push Edited September 18, 2013 by Leaves 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whoami Posted September 18, 2013 Sorry, my phone died half way through posting that, so the actual article I tried to quote got cut off somehow. I have no real idea Leaves. That article is dated to the 17th of this month though, so whatever is going on must be fairly recent. All I know is, they seem to have a pretty bad problem with drug abuse in Thailand. The drug culture there is a lot different to Australia, or so my friend who is in Thailand right now tells me anyway. He reckons its easier and cheaper to get speed than cannabis over there, but that doesn't really surprise me. But I've never bought or used speed in Australia so I have no idea what that side of things is like here in comparison to Thailand. I thought it was interesting anyway Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DiscoStu Posted September 19, 2013 ah yes, a predictable msm fear campaign in a pathetic attempt to justify ever more draconian laws, and yet there continues to be multiple deaths from RC's and unknown ingestions despite a "hard line stance" on durgs apparently no ones listening..... http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-incidents/australians-drugged-raped-and-robbed-at-thai-beach-parties-diplomat-warns-20130919-2u0mk.html shaking my head indeed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
