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We are getting closer to legalizing cannabis for everyone in Thailand
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The government in Thailand is thinking about making cannabis legal for everybody.
Why this matters: The cannabis market is booming in Asia. Thailand's ganjapreneurs are convinced, 'this country could be come the no.1 player in the global cannabis market. We have perfect conditions to grow the plant.' Plus, many people in Thailand continue to get thrown into jail for possessing, growing and smoking cannabis; some even up to 15 years. If legalized, this is no longer an arrestable offense. With this move, the government hopes to promote its tourism industry.
Tell me more
Some people at the country's health ministry is like, 'we should make more parts of cannabis, like marijuana and hemp plants, legal.' The healthy minister, Anutin Charnvirakul is currently looking into whether this proposal makes any sense or nah. You should know that Anutin is also a businessman and the leader of the Bhumjai Thai party (a major partner in the country's coalition government); rumour has it he wants to become prime minister next year. *wink*
If he says 'yes', what's next?
Well, mainly, it would make it possible for so many companies in the country to start using and selling cannabis for much more than 'just' medicinal purposes; like put cannabis into foodstuffs or the beauty industry, among other things.
How legal is cannabis in Thailand now?
As of now, cannabis is only legal as medicine. Its production and trade is highly regulated by the government, meaning that, by law, legal cannabis cannot have a more-than-0.2% THC level; THC is the stuff in cannabis that gets you high.
Did you know that Thailand, in 2018, became the first Southeast Asian nation to decriminalize the production and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes?
For my German readers: I talked about this in Die Wochendämmerung with Katrin Rönicke and Holger Klein last week. Check it out.
Sources: ABC News, South China Morning Post, Bangkok Post, Nikkei Asia, Thai PBS World
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We found two new big sphinxes in Egypt – archeologists are going cray cray
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Archeologists from Egypt and Germany found two big sphinxes in Luxor last week. The statues were built by the great pharao King Amenhotep III (granddaddy of King Tutankhamun) 3,300 years ago.
How big?
An article calls the sphinxes 'colossal' but they measure around 26 feet/around 8 meters long. For comparison, the Great Sphinx is 240 feet/73 meters long. But maybe, that's why it's called the Great Sphinx. These are 'just' Good Sphinxes.
Where did they find it?
At the 'Temple of Millions of Years'. The temple is in Luxor, Egypt, which is famously known for the oldest and most ancient Egyptian sites, along with being home to the Valley of Kings. Archeologists also found statues of the goddess Sekhmet.
Were their noses smashed?
I love that you ask that. Not many people know that this is an interesting field of questioning and research. To answer your question, yes, their noses were smashed, too; like so many other statues from Ancient Egypt. There are some wild theories about why that is; one being that to really make sure these nobles and pharaohs have died, people who went to rob their tombs would break their noses first so the statue won't be able to breathe.
What do we now know because of this discovery?
The head of this archeology team, Dr. Horig Sorosian, was like, (I paraphrase) 'eh omg this is so important. Now, we know where exactly the celebrations of the Beautiful Valley Festival were held every year.' The BVF in the ancient city of Thebes was not a music festival; more like a must-go event for whoever wanted to visit their deceased loved ones and bring them gifts.
Cool, I guess.
I know, I know. Amenhotep III died thousands of years ago. Why care, right? The crazy part is that archaeologists are still uncovering and thus learning about him. For example, in April 2021, they found a 3,500-year-old city that he built around the same spot; the largest ancient city ever to be discovered in Egypt. Betsy Brian, Professor of Egyptology at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, United States, said "The discovery of this lost city is the second most important archaeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun".
Why this matters: This is a casual reminder of the great wonders that still remain to be discovered in our world. Just how much history and culture is buried beneath our feet? Thank you, archaeologists of the world.
Btw, did you know you can play an Ancient Egyptian game online? It's called Senet, pretty similar to Backgammon and one of the earliest board games in human history. (Instead of playing Wordle for the 19849th time, try this.)
Sources: ArtNet, Egyptian government website, Britannica.
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We are worried about journalists in Mexico – already two were murdered this year
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Two journalists were murdered in Mexico in the past two weeks; one in the northwestern border city of Tijuana, the other in the east coast port city of Veracruz.
Why this matters: Press Freedom Group says Mexico is the world's most dangerous country for reporters outside war zones. Last year, at least nine were murdered. Mexico is ranked 143rd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Border's 2021 World Press Freedom Index.
Tell me more about them
First, Margarito Martínez Esquivel. He was a 49 year-old crime reporter and photographer in Tijuana (one of the most violent cities in the country). People say he's always had problems with the police because of the stories he covered. Last month, shortly before he died, he asked the police for protection from some criminal gangs he felt in danger from – without any luck. NPR's Carrie Kahn talked to some people in Tijuana about him; his nickname was Cuatro Cuatro, read/listen here why.
What about the second journalist?
A week earlier, José Luis Gamboa Arenas was stabbed to death in Veracruz; another super dangerous region. Gamboa, like Martínez, wasn't a big fan of police and thought they were corrupt. Gamboa founded and edited the Inforegio news website, co-founded and edited the news website La Noticia. On the day he was killed, he posted a video entitled "The war for narcopolitics" and an article that highlighting the many execution-style murders in the city. At this point in time, it is not clear, however, if he was murdered because of his work or nah.
What are people saying?
"It’s shocking to have this happen so early in the year and to have one murder happen so shortly after the other," said Jan-Albert Hootsen, the Mexico representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists.
What now?
Everyone's super shocked, tbh. The Tijuana-based press collective Yo Sí Soy Periodista (Yes, I’m a journalist) is like, (I paraphrase) 'you need to f*cking move quickly, federal authorities. F*cking do something to protect us.'
Why is it so easy to kill journalists in this part of the world?
'Because you can' is probably the easiest answer. Journalists in Mexico are dealing with incredible impunity here, meaning that only about two percent of all murders in Mexico are ever solved. In some regions journalists have become so fearful of getting kidnapped and/or killed that they take do-it-yourself dental impressions and leave them in the freezer at home before going out to report so relatives can identify their remains.
Sources: La Silla Rota Veracruz, personal YouTube page of José Luis Gamboa Arenas, The Guardian, Reporters Without Borders, NPR.
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OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING
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Tonga: A volcano triggered a tsunami somewhere north of the capital Nuku'alofa and it's killed at least three people (most likely higher number) and destroyed a lot. People in the United States could hear the eruption and two people in Peru, more than 10,000km away, drowned off a beach because of too-high waves.
India: The Delhi high court is thinking about making it illegal for your spouse to rape you (why do we need laws for this in the first place, I ask myself). Because of that, the hashtag #marriagestrike has been trending on Twitter in India, with a number of men saying, (I paraphrase) 'I'm never ever getting married if marital rape becomes a criminal offense in the country.' I'm sure women everywhere are just... devastated.
Yemen: The violence hasn't stopped. It's actually worse. Last week, over 100 people were killed in an airstrike on a prison in Saada. In another airstrike, also last week, at least three children died in Hodeida as they played nearby a telecommunications facility that was hit.
South Africa: Cycads, the world's oldest seed plants and dinosaurs' favorite way back may soon go extinct because some f*ckheads collect and sell them. South Africa is a hotspot of cycad diversity, supporting 38 species – 29 of which are found nowhere else in the world.
Barbados: It's another Yes for Mia Mottley and her Barbados Labour Party government. They were re-elected for a second term, winning all 30 seats. Democracies worldwide are drooling at this election result.
Liberia: There was a stampede at a church in Monrovia. At least 29 people died, including eleven children and a pregnant woman. How did it happen? People panicked after gangsters (with knives on them) entered the prayer ground. One person was arrested.
Indonesia: The country is building a new capital. Last week, the Minister of National Development Planning Suharso Monoarfa revealed that the name of the new Indonesian capital will be Nusantara. Nusantara is a term that has been used to describe the Indonesian Archipelago.
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I can't but let the first sentence of this article tell it like it is:
"A Chinese couple who were trapped on a neverending date thanks to a virus lockdown have been relieved to find that love, not COVID-19, is in the air."
Spoiler alert: They got engaged in Xianyang, China. Congratulations, Zhao!
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That's it from me for this week. If you want to stay connected on social media, follow me on Twitter or on Instagram.
Bye,
Sham
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