Thailand Marijuana Laws
Thailand’s Narcotics Act is among the harshest drug laws on earth. You can get long prison terms for possession of even small quantities—and the death penalty for larger quantities of “hard drugs,” last used in 2004. A few Europeans and Aussies have been faced with lengthy terms and threat of execution in recent years after getting busted in Thailand—although for heroin and methamphetamine, not cannabis. Tourists busted with cannabis frequently get off with a 5,000 bahat ($20) fine—after a short stay in jail waiting to see the judge. “Short” can mean several days, not hours. You might be afforded the privilege of posting $2,000 bail.
Our Koh Tao informant warns visitors to “keep an eye out for regular raids by the Maritime police,” who sometimes arrive in a small fleet of boats and conduct searches of cabins. “The jails are filled with sunburned hippy tourists waiting for someone to post their fine.” Try to avoid being one of them.
