American tourist apologizes after blasting Phuket street with weed-laced fog machine
By Bryan Ke
An American tourist from California was made to apologize after blasting a fog machine laced with marijuana on a busy street in Phuket, Thailand, to promote his business back home.
Key details: The incident occurred along Bangla Walking Street in Patong Beach on Aug. 18 at around 2:30 a.m., according to the Phuket Provincial Police’s Facebook post in Thai on Sunday.
For promotion: Authorities said the man, an American tourist identified as Angkhan Vorac Chhieng, 55, was using a fog machine filled with marijuana, described in an Instagram post as a “kush cannon,” while walking down the crowded, busy street.
Chhieng reportedly said he was trying to promote his cannabis dispensary, Kush Life, which is in California.
Confronting him: Using surveillance cameras to track him down after receiving reports of his behavior, authorities were eventually able to locate Chhieng at a hotel in Bangla Walking Street.
His reaction: Chhieng reportedly apologized for what happened after being confronted by the police, claiming that he did not know his actions were inappropriate. He also apologized for hurting Phuket’s tourism image.
Leaving Thailand: Chhieng, who reportedly arrived in Bangkok on Aug. 15 before traveling to Phuket, left Thailand on Aug. 19.
Legal but with rules: While it is legal to use cannabis in Thailand, whether that be for medical or recreational purposes, tourists still have to follow some ground rules. For example, cannabis is prohibited in public spaces such as schools, malls and temples, and going against the rules can result in a 25,000 baht (approximately $712) fine and a three-month prison sentence.
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