Around 11 p.m. local time on the 10th, in the bustling district of Khao San Road in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, there was a green leaf-shaped sign hanging outside a marijuana shop. There were about 8 such shops on this approximately 400-meter-long main road, and when including street vendors, there were around 30 of them in total. Tourists immediately smoked the purchased marijuana, and the scent of the smoke permeated the streets.
In another busy area called Surawong Road, a shop with a sign reading “Marijuana Sales” in Korean was also noticeable. A Korean tourist encountered locally mentioned, “It feels like you can smell marijuana everywhere you go.”
Since the legalization of marijuana consumption within Thailand in June of last year, Korean tourists have been openly exposed to marijuana. Marijuana is considered a relatively accessible drug and is often referred to as an “entry-level” drug. Many individuals who use marijuana later transition to harder drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine.
Aggressive solicitation was also prevalent in Thailand. It wasn’t limited to just famous tourist attractions; even near subway stations, there were instances of active marijuana solicitation. As people walked down the streets, merchants would grab their arms and say in Korean, “Oppa, weed. Weed.”
A 27-year-old Korean tourist, Choi, mentioned, “The blatant presence of marijuana and drugs everywhere, along with the casual way they tried to persuade us, was intimidating. I was curious, but I ran away because I thought I could be punished.” Choi recalled witnessing middle-aged Korean men who appeared to be tourists entering marijuana shops and said, “Before the trip, I memorized the phrase ‘Please exclude marijuana’ in Thai, but considering how common it was, I realized I might unknowingly end up consuming it.”
In these shops, various forms of marijuana were available for purchase, including liquid marijuana that could be smoked like a cigarette, and even ‘marijuana kits’ containing different types of marijuana. Prices ranged from 400 baht (about \16,000) to 1000 baht (about \40,000) for purchasing marijuana (US$1=\1336).
Thailand doesn’t just offer marijuana; easily accessible are also psychoactive substances known as ‘Happy Balloon,’ which is actually nitrogen dioxide. While not classified as a narcotic, Happy Balloon can induce effects similar to drugs, including laughter. Among the 23 bars and restaurants operating on Khao San Road, ten of them used signs that read ‘Laughing Gas’ to attract customers. The employees would call out, “Smile, smile,” and “Only 100 baht (about \4,000).” Kim, 30-year-old, a tourist, mentioned, “I didn’t realize that the laughing gas was Happy Balloon.” He added, “I saw other tourists inhaling gas from balloons, and it looked like a playful activity. I almost tried it myself when they handed me a balloon.”
Marijuana is legal in Thailand, but not in South Korea. South Koreans who return from a trip abroad and are found to have used drugs overseas are subject to punishment. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, 700,000 South Korean tourists visited Thailand in the first half of this year.
A police official stated, “Hundreds of thousands of people have been exposed to a drug-friendly environment.” However, the same official also mentioned that “it is practically difficult to conduct drug tests on those without suspicion, making it a situation with no effective measures.” Professor Lee Beom-jin from Ajou University’s College of Pharmacy stated, “A decisive attitude from the authorities is needed to dispel the idea that you might be lucky enough not to get caught.” He added, “Although it is realistically impossible to conduct full inspections of all travelers, there is a need to introduce random inspections to raise awareness.”
Recent trends show an increase in domestic drug offenses. National Office of Investigation of the Korean National Police Agency reported a 63.7 percent increase in drug offense crackdown results, with 13,160 arrests from March to July this year, compared to 6,301 arrests in the same period last year. On the 14th of last month, Ilsan East Police Station arrested six members of a gang that smuggled in narcotics worth \70 billion, including methamphetamine, liquid marijuana, and ketamine, and sent 27 drug users to jail. They are suspected of bringing in 22kg of narcotics from overseas, including Vietnam, for distribution in South Korea.
