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On June 9th, 2022 Thailand became the first country in Asia to legalize cannabis. Within 1 week of legalization operators were popping up trucks, tables and storefronts all over the city. Hearing about the new market and regulation looming in the near future, we had hopes to make it out to Bangkok to see this emerging scene. Those hopes came to reality when Bangkok Urban Greens and Kingston Royal reached out to us to explore the city and talk to some dispensary owners. Three weeks later we were on a plane with cannabis journalists Jon Cappetta (High Times) and Jimi Devine (LA Weekly).
When we arrived in Bangkok we were greeted by our tour guide and owner of Phandee Dispensary, Oliver Chu. Oliver had flower waiting for us, we burned one at the airport then hit the streets to see what kind of smoke Bangkok had to offer. All week Oliver was the ultimate plug taking us to dispensary after dispensary introducing us to their owners. After hearing their stories we learned that regulation is coming, Thai people and tourists are looking 16-17% sativa strains, they are interested in Thai landrace strains and they are right there with California when it comes to tech and outlook on the plant. We got to meet with the Zaza Boys at their truck stocked with only high THC percentage flower, the guys at the Tropiccanna Work Space & Cafe specialized in sativa strains and strains that come from Thailand. The gentlemen at Dr. Dope shared their vision of craft cannabis using California SOP’s and shared patient stories similar to the Best Buds owners. Best Buds explained how a man with Parkinson’s Diseases came to the shop, smoked, then five minutes later came in feeling relief for the first time in years. Ta at Greenhead explained how they used to grow flower for the government to extract into medicine. He showed us Plantopia, a strip mall with over 20 dispensaries, at the famous Khao San Road night market. Rounding out the balance of operators, Speedy Access showed us their showroom of grow tech and their rooftop greenhouse where they are going to cultivate and cross strawberries with cannabis.
Between the dispensary stops and learning about the local cannabis scene, Oliver took us all over the city to explore the markets, restaurants, rooftops, clubs, jazz bars and temples. We got pretzeled up at a $17 two hour Thai massage and I even got a custom tailored suit from scratch for $400. The city itself is worth visiting Bangkok. The art, temples, architecture and food all compliment the overall energy of this vibrant culture.
A country known for it’s Thai smile is the perfect place to legalize cannabis. A place you can get into anything from nightlife to nature. A place where you hear Khob Khun Ka (Thank You) non-stop in your peripheral hearing. A place where the people and humidity make you feel warm and welcome. That place where you smoke and there’s no stress and anxiety, only eye catching sights and delicious food. Anytime you consuming something psychoactive, an important factor is set and setting, and when it comes to cannabis in 2023 that set and setting is Thailand.
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