Hi, I just wanted to share a concern that crossed my mind. I know that cannabis is legal in Thailand and quite commonly used, especially in cities. We’ll be traveling to Chiang Mai coming Saturday and doing the Mae Hong Son loop. Is it safe to do the loop? I’m worried about the possibility of other drivers using cannabis while driving.

Additionally, I’m concerned about air pollution, as some people may use cannabis in public. One of us has a lung condition, and I’m worried about their health. Could experienced travelers to Chiang Mai provide some insights?

Thank you in advance!

Cannabis is legal in my state of the US, but driving impaired is not. Perhaps the same applies in Thailand?

Thank you for your feedback, Melnq8.

I have driven all over Thailand including the MHS loop twice. Driving standards are universally pretty bad in Thailand, Along with other SEAsian countries like Vietnam, the number of RTAs and deaths is exponentially higher than in say the US and Europe. I doubt that the legalisation of cannabis has had much of an impact. For years one of the big problems has been track and bus drivers taking amphetamines to stay awake on long journeys.

My advice is to try and attune yourself to the Thai driving style and expect others to be completely idiots (e.g. it is ok to drive on the wrong side of the road for a while if it is more convenient and is not for too long/ overtaking on bends is fine as other will move out the way..)

NB Air quality in north Thailand is a problem, especially in Chiang Mai where traffic fumes can be awful walking around teh city. Better once out in the countryside. Anyone with a lung condition should take extra care. People smoking dope in public isn’t going to make teh slightest difference to air quality.

Alcohol is more likely to be a concern - but the prime factor is your own ability to addapt to driving in THailand.

"the number of RTAs and deaths is exponentially higher than in, say, the US and Europe." - This is not actually true. RTIs in the UK and Thailand are not that different – the number of deaths is considerably higher, but 80% of road deaths in Thailand are motorcyclists.
If you are in a 4-wheeled vehicle, you are statistically LESS likely to get killed than in the USA.

As for cannabis – the biggest problem I've seen is foreigners on step-throughs driving around islands like Koh Chang, clearly the worse for wear due to cannabis consumption.
The main drug problem on Thai roads is alcohol, which is involved in around 30% of accidents – about the same as the USA.

Sorry but the relative rates for RTIs, according to WHO 196/100k for the UK and 1400/100k for Thailand . i.e. Seven time higher.

My concern is mainly with perception
There is a lot of trouble gathering and interpreting RTI rates in different countries. Places in Europe like the UK have very good detailed systems, whereas Thailand is just emerging now from the dark ages. You have to be very careful when counting RTIs and getting an overall picture – I'm referring to the number of actual crashes or collisions... In the UK collisions occur without death or injury far more often than in Thailand – in Thailand, thanks to road design and general road safety status, the collisions tend to result in more serious results – so whilst having a crash in Thailand may be more serious than in the UK, the actual number is not that different.
A lot of the reputation of Thailand is based on how people have interpreted the available statistics. The usual one is deaths per 100k of population, but this gives a very skewed perception, especially if equated to gauge how dangerous. They are also equated to the number of collisions – Thailand hasn't really got that much accurate info about that. A lot of the perception is just based on misreading the stats or anecdotal evidence and personal observations.

PS -which WHO report are you referring to? could you give a reference?

These are some of the statistics you need to take into consideration to get a more realistic view of what's happening – the methods used for road safety statistical collation in Thailand, including the more comprehensive set of statistics used worldwide.

These collations include

• Injuries 3 categories…

1. Deaths per 1 million inhabitants

•  
  1. Serious Injuries per 1 million inhabitants
  2. Minor injuries per 1 million inhabitants

• Deaths per 10 billion vehicle-KM
• Deaths per 100,000 registered vehicles
• Registered vehicles per 1000 inhabitants

For instance, we need to know the density of traffic per kilometre, the types of vehicles and how far they are driven.

Even accepting your single stat, one needs to define what one means by RTI, and does it include no-injury collisions? At 7 times higher, it puts it on a part with many other countries round the world – including many states in the USA.

"Additionally, I’m concerned about air pollution, as some people may use cannabis in public. One of us has a lung condition, and I’m worried about their health. Could experienced travelers to Chiang Mai provide some insights?
"

Cannabis smoke has no significant effect of air pollution in Thailand. the problem is primarily PM2.5 particles.

However, various parts of the nation suffer from severe air quality problems at different times of the year.
Bangkok can have bouts of poor air quality at any time of the year. - the causes can be industry, traffic and even biomass burning.

In most places the pollution reaches dangerous levels when still air is trapped below another layer of atmosphere or cloud and it just builds up.
The Eastern Seaboard also has problems with pollution from the huge petrochemical industrial areas and biomass burning.

In the North, Chiang Mai has a "burning season" from about the end of January into April – the city's geography leaves it pone to bouts of trapped air – this accumulates the pollution from traffic and industry, but it is then taken to dangerous levels by the burning of crops and forest fires started by human activity – and has led to Chiang Mai being called the "most polluted city in the world".I have here a list of sources for getting information about air quality in Thailand.Air4Thai app Air4Thai

Available on Google play and Apple.

Thai pollution Control Department. - https://www.pcd.go.th/

https://www.iqair.com/gb/profile/tha...rol-department

Bangkok AirQuality - https://airquality.airbkk.com/Public...s/Aqs/HomePage

Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/PCD.go.th
https://th.usembassy.gov/air-quality-index-aqi/

https://www.iqair.com/gb/thailand?sr...kQmiGnX9qJsnQN

https://www.aqi.in/uk/dashboard/thailand

https://waqi.info/

https://aqicn.org/map/thailand/

https://air.plumelabs.com/air-quality-in-Chiang%20Mai-4Q7B#



Thai pollution Control Department. - https://www.pcd.go.th/

https://www.iqair.com/gb/profile/tha...rol-department