Thais to turn from marijuana to gambling

Thailand flirted with marijuana and then did a quick reverse ferret.

Now the Asian tourism hostpot is considering allowing casinos to boost international tourism.

The Thai government is considering legalising casinos to draw investment and tourism, a study submitted to the House of Representative has shown, but previous proposals have failed because of unease among the public, the Bangkok Post reports.

State-sanctioned horse race betting is currently the only gambling officially sanctioned, but insiders believe Thailand could rival the world's biggest gambling hub, Macau: the only place in China where citizens can legally gamble in casinos.

Many travel industry leaders believe legal casino resort gambling would be a major attraction for overseas tourists, and successful, even if it remained illegal or heavily restricted to Thai citizens.

Legalisation of gambling has been discussed in the past but no government has gone ahead due to public opposition. In a 2021 opinion poll, 46.51% opposed legalised gambling due to moral and crime concerns. Only 21.25% supported the idea.

The previous parliament approved a similar study last year but the house was dissolved before the cabinet could consider it.

Amsterdam wants to scare away dope smoking tourists

The last time I visited Amsterdam there was fellow running around the streets menacing people with a machete.

He was clearly high on a substance a little stronger than cannabis.

But the good people of Amsterdam council are now apparently worried about marijuana tourism.

They are to launch a "stay away" campaign in the northern spring targeting tourists travelling to the capital for drugs, alcohol and sex purposes.

Which are, of course, three of Amsterdam's major tourism drawcards, whether the good local burghers like it or not.

The city's mayor is hoping to curb crime by banning smoking marijuana outdoors from mid-May.

Good luck with that.

Apparently, residents in the city centre have complained that tourist-fuelled nightlife noise has made the city unbearable.

The Dutch capital has long been known for its liberal attitude to drug use and sex work but will ban the smoking of cannabis on the streets of its red-light district, city authorities.

The ban, which will come into effect in mid-May, is seeking to tackle crime and anti-social behavior to improve the quality of life for the area's residents.

Amsterdam is a popular tourist hotspot and its marijuana cafes as well as its brothels and strip clubs draw in millions of visitors every year.

The real problem is not a marijuana smoking - it is an overabundance of tourists in cities that are relatively small.

Venice suffers from similar problems, as does Prague - neither of which are dens of drug smoking mania. Rome, too, and Dubrovnik.

What has happened in these cities - and many others - is that they have promoted themselves to tourists, and then discovered they lack the necessary infrastructure for the masses.

"Residents of the old town suffer a lot from mass tourism and alcohol and drug abuse in the streets," Amsterdam city fathers and mothers said in a statement.

"Tourists also attract street dealers, who in turn cause crime and insecurity," it added.

But therein lies a problem. 

Tourists are highly unlikely to flock to Amsterdam for the local cuisine, so when businesses start losing money my bet is that dope smokers will be welcomed back with open arms.

Wine trails are 10 a penny, but how about a cannabis trail?

 

Cannabis is all the rage right now. 

Visit Thailand and you can buy cannabis-infused drinks by the beach, or buy your spliff supply from a local version of a food truck. 

In Canada, you just pop into your local cannabis store to pick up a joint or two, or maybe some gummies.

In Australia, of course, you'll find police with sniffer dogs at railway stations trying to smell out someone with a marijuana cigarette on their person. But we are a little bit behind the times. 

In Oakland, California, they recently launched their own cannabis trail - which is being actively by the Visit Oakland tourism folks. 

Oakland has been at the forefront of cannabis education and compassionate patient access for decades. 

"California and especially the Bay Area is known for having the best cannabis in the world," says the retailers at Cookies Oakland. 

With the city facing economic issues, by the 1990s city leaders were open to exploring uncharted avenues for downtown revitalisation. 

The potential for much-needed commerce spurred a new perspective on cannabis regulation and taxation, long before other cities across the country followed suit. 

For two decades, Oakland has been a cannabis policy leader at the state and federal level. 

Several spots are officially recognized as Cultural Landmarks along The Cannabis Trail. 

In the Oaksterdam Uptown District, Blunts and Moore (above), and Harborside are historic markers of the short but busy history of cannabis in Oakland. 

Harborside is a pioneer of mainstream cannabis wellness and normalisation. It is here that the very first legal sale of recreational cannabis in California happened in 2016. 

Dotted throughout each diverse Oakland neighbourhoods are various cannabis shops featuring local product brands such as Fig Farms and Dark Heart Nursery.

From the canna-curious to canna-sseur, there is, apparently, something for everyone - and there is an official trail map featuring shops, places to chill out and recommended eateries. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: While cannabis is legal to purchase from licensed retailers in California, it is still illegal to consume cannabis in public. See Oakland Cannabis Trail.