THE WEEK THAT WAS Such a positive vibe in Bangkok as tourists, Thai sellers, locals and even a Thong Lo cop celebrate the end of ganja prohibition!

[webfact]

 

OPINION | by Rooster
 
For me it all began in early 2019 before the March general election. I’d been riding my bike and saw a bright green marijuana leaf on a billboard for the Bhumjaithai candidate. 
 
Surely not. I did a double take then stopped at the next poster barely able to believe my eyes as I read the Thai over and over. They were proposing to ease regulations to allow every household to grow six plants. It was Anutin Charnvirakul’s plan, I’d barely heard of the man.
 
I put it on the back burner in my mind thinking that’s never going to happen, it’s just a gimmick. Total skepticism took over, especially in my beloved yet conservative minded Thailand where Go-Go bars flourish but officialdom deny prostitution. 
 
Nope, if you enjoy dope it’d be living on the dark side of illegality forever. 
 
Fast forward to just over three months ago when it was announced that cannabis was to be totally removed from the Class 5 narcotics list. Still skeptical, I imagined they’d let people grow hemp and put boring leaves in their Tom Yam. I admit I translated stories that were wide of the mark - the Thai press could barely believe it. THC content would be 0.2%, nobody would be able to get high, maybe CBD oil for insomniacs. Forget recreational use. Mystery surrounded what they meant by extracts. 
 
Surely the regulations couldn’t only refer to that. But they did.
 
Today, nine days after the official start of the new era, many have realised how wrong we were. Thailand has done something amazing and the vibe is mostly so positive it beggar’s belief.
 
On Wednesday afternoon I went to the brilliantly named Sukhumweed shop on Soi Kluay Nam Thai, Sukhumvit Soi 42. (it’s 50 paces from the Rama IV end on the left) where I met founder and owner Soranut “Beer” Masayavanich. 

 

The front of the Soi 42 shop
 
I’d driven past his unpretentious little shop sandwiched between food sellers across from derelict looking buildings. But when I looped back a familiar and delightful aroma wafted out into the street as a customer left. 
 
Aha!
 
Inside were about 15 people queuing patiently for service. Most were foreigners. With prices starting at around 500 baht for just one gram and a sign saying 3,000 baht for 3.5 grams for one variety it was not surprising to see few Thais. 

 

A plant on a table inside the shop
 
The customers were sniffing Jealousy, Deadly Swabi, Citradelic Sunset and Orange Pie in neat jars, listening to the advice of the sales ladies, before deciding which one to choose. Beer was behind the counter with plastic gloves on raking in the cash. 
 
While I waited I spoke to some of the tourists. Ben, 29, from Australia said he and his pals had been to Highland Cafe opposite Union Mall in Chatuchak, but it wasn’t open yet. So they’d hotfooted it to Soi 42 and were just blown away.
 
“I wish it was like this in Australia,” he said, while admitting that it was a similar price. “This is going to be great for tourism”, he said as his friends heartily agreed. They were stunned that the rumors they’d heard on social media were true and were going back to their hotels very pleased with their purchases.
 
“I lived in Thailand before and speak Thai,” said Ben but I never thought this day would come.

 

Inside the Soi 42 shop
 
Another in the line was Jimbo, a UK man from Cambridgeshire, who is a blogger who knows his ganja and was having no problems filming. He’s been living in Thailand for 23 years and had been fairly confident that good news was in the air. He’d just come from a classy dispensary in Saladaeng where Gorilla Glue #4 with 27% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol that makes you high) was available.
 
“Just wow!” was his comment as he explained about “sativa and indica”.
 
He couldn’t wait to get home and have a “neat joint” that would be “great for his insomnia”.
 
Yogi, a Swiss expat who has been in Bangkok for 4 years and works in IT said he lived locally and the shop was brilliant for him. He’d been to a place called Candyland in Pattaya that had been operating for some time where he reckoned the walk-in trade alone was doing 100,000 baht business an hour. He said it was very well organised in Pattaya and you could even smoke on the premises, a no-no for Sukhumweed. Hashish was also rumored to be available at the resort. . 
 
An Indian tourist from Calcutta overheard the conversation and asked if he could take his purchase with him to Samui. The consensus was that it’d be better to buy there where there are plenty of shops. 
 
Several people chipped in about India: “Your country was where I learned what smoking really was!”  “Oooh the Bhang Lassies!” “Ah Manali hash!” The Indian smiled in appreciation of the recognition of his wonderful homeland. We were all friends together. 

 

Jars displaying the wares in Sukhumweed
 
After a quick chat with a diminutive lady from Italy also patiently waiting in line, the ebullient  Beer was finally free for our prearranged interview. 
 
He’s a musician and former actor whose thespian career took a dive after he was busted. Unperturbed he spent the next twenty years paying fines, growing and selling and living in the shadows of the considerable ganja counter culture in Thailand. All while strumming on his acoustic guitar. 

 

Beer out front of his shop in Soi Kluay Nam Thai
 
He was preparing for legalization and was ready on the dot on June 9th. The Bangkok native has three farms growing weed in Nong Khai in the north east. Everything is locally grown and he’s determined to improve the standard of marijuana in Thailand “just like they've done in the US”. He speaks English at a fast pace with a US lilt.
 
Beer has some excellent connections so he was always confident legalization would come and his investments wouldn’t be wasted. An advantage not enjoyed by many.
 
He has an uncle called Marut who is a Bhumjaithai party list MP. Beer is working with him and others on an advisory committee to promulgate the new laws that he said would be announced if not in September then hopefully by December, the end of the current parliament. 
 
“We’re under orders to get it sorted,” he said. “I’ve been with MPs on fact finding missions to the US”. 
 
“So did they smoke?” I asked.
 
“No, they didn’t, they are still a little reticent. But I hotboxed them in the car!”, he added referencing a term that means smoking in a confined area supposedly intensifying the drug’s effects. 
 
Beer has two partners - old friends Siraphop “Non” Rahong and Parin Tongwaranan. Non sells apparel and has connections to a hospital while Parin deals with the growing side and has a brand of equipment called T-REX. 
 
Beer said that about 80% of his customers so far had been foreigners, the rest Thai. 
 
“Thais mostly have their own network built up over many years”, he said. He predicted that the ganja price would increase in the coming months as it was running out fast but it would level off and eventually drop. Asked what a key tenet of government policy would be in the future he had one word:
 
Taxation.
 
“So have the police paid you a visit yet?” I inquired. 
 
“Funnily enough one of my first ten customers last Thursday was a junior cop half in uniform from the Thong Lo station”. 
 
The cop said after asking about a purchase:
 
“Will I get busted for this?” Beer - formerly on the receiving end of several constabularies - was delighted to tell him it was all legal!
 
So what do you think this will do for tourism?, I asked.
 
“It’ll put it one thousand million percent up,” he enthused. “Sun, sea, sand, great food, nice ladies - and now WEED! What’s not to like!”
 

Beer proudly poses with his sign outside Sukhumweed

 

Reminded that many of Rooster’s readers are retirees he said that weed is great for them too, whether smoked or in edibles or just using the CBD oil for medical conditions or sleeplessness. His shop has plenty of CBD products, too, along with bongs, papers, and those wonderful jars. “Brick weed” or Thai stick - a more traditional high with a much lower THC content that many old timers will be more familiar with - is also available in the shop for 100 baht.
 
Beer said he once thought about running for senator of Nong Khai, but his life in the shadows put paid to that.
 
So what about selling to Thai youth?
 
“Oh no, I’m old school about that,” said the man who has a hit song “Too Cool For School” even though he admits starting to smoke at 15.
 
“I don’t even like kids going into bars and I don’t want them smoking until they’re older. We have a bouncer on the door, anyone in school uniform won’t get in and if they look too young they have to show ID.
 
“We also don’t allow smoking on the premises or outside, I don’t have a licence to allow that. Tourists will have to go on their hotel balconies as well as remember not to annoy people with the smoke in the street. Most of them get it and take our advice - they come from countries where they are used to the rules,” he added fearing no problems from foreigners being stupid in the kingdom and letting the side down. 
 
Reiterating his desire to improve Thai weed he said that recently his company won the coveted “Kanchana Cup” (a play on the Thai Covid app Thai Chana and Kancha, the local pronunciation for weed).
 
“We beat one of the industry leaders for a change,” he added. 
 
I asked Beer about alcohol and weed. 
 
“Hey, with a name like mine of course I drink. But weed has helped me drink less and I think that is what could help your expats. Enjoy some of this great drug and drink less - that’ll be great for their health”.
 
Next stop was Pa Ou, 49, who was clearly beaming behind her mask as she prepared smoothies and orange drinks in the shop next door.
 
“So how’s business since the ganja shop opened?”, I asked.
 
“It’s doubled and nearly all my customers are now foreigners from next door na kha,” she said. 
 
We parted with a “wai” as a foreigner and his Thai girlfriend lit up something away from people in a derelict lot across the road. 
 
It’s hard to wait any more when you’ve been waiting so long. 
 
Next stop was Highland Cafe, the place in Chatuchak, one of many now in the Thai capital that has been openly operating for months. Here at 4.45 pm I counted 62 people - mostly 20 something Thais - waiting in a snaking line outside.

 

The queue outside Highland Cafe on Wednesday
 
So many people in fact that the staff had introduced a ticketed waiting system for entry - barred to anyone under 20 according to a Thai sign on the window. 
 
Several Thais said they were regular customers while new ones said they were curious and wanted to find out more. They were not sure what to expect but staff were on hand to advise.

 

Under 20s are not allowed inside Highland Cafe
 
One westerner was Josh, from Germany who’d been working in Thailand for 4 years. He’d already been waiting in the dying afternoon sun for 45 minutes.

 

The German expat outside Highland Cafe waiting his turn
 
“I want some CBD oil for my cooking,” he said, “I’m not looking for THC today”. He got ticket number 100 as the line slowly got smaller. 
 

Yes, it was an amazing day in Thailand that I thought would never come. I’m on a sabbatical from marijuana at the moment to build up my tolerance levels. But I’ll be back.
 
I’d made a purchase of paneer and garam masala from the Lee Peng shop in the market at the Asoke intersection.
 
Another thing that India taught me.
 
And so to a brief round up of the week’s news that was of course dominated by all the marijuana stories. 
 
Anutin told new Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt not to politicize the issue after the former Pheu Thai man claimed a 51 year old man had overdosed on weed. The BMA then announced that it wasn’t true. 
 
Then Dr Somsak, the director general of the department of medical services said that weed causes “addiction and traffic accidents” and the ministry only supports cannabis for medical conditions. 
 
Clearly “Reefer Madness” (the famous movie that set generations back) is still alive and kicking. Earlier Khun Thaejing of the anti-drink driving foundation had also expressed his concern about DUI of drugs.
 
Next, Daily News reported that a lady went on Facebook to claim allergic reactions from weed in her Tom Jeut Mara soup. The vendor gave her 280 baht back while a Chula scientist warned about cooking too many ganja leaves and getting “mao”. Bless! You’d need a whole skip load at 0.3% THC, reminiscent of trying to get drunk on shandy as a kid. 
 
The MoPH announced what they referred to as regulations to prevent recreational use with fines of 25K and 3 months jail. This is er…smoke and mirrors. All they are doing is spouting regular smoking rules and effectively announcing their tacit approval that if you don’t bother anyone then go ahead and enjoy dope in private. 
 
Just not in so many words, a typical Thai trait. 
 
In Pattaya another “Beer” - appropriately enough - was finally confirmed as the new mayor. He was pictured wearing a “Beer Loves Pattaya” t-shirt.
 
Just as well it wasn’t around the other way or he might get done for advertising the demon drink.
 
In Wang Nam Khiaw there was an almighty kerfuffle when a couple posted their sex antics at a resort on OnlyFans. Their steamy session got out to Line and the district chief and a tourism official called for their heads while locals spoke of bringing the area into disrepute.
 
Much of the furor centered around crossing out the word for green (khiaw) and replacing it with siaw (sexy) making Wang Nam Siaw; that sounds more like “Pleasure Palace” than the beautiful rolling hills the area in Korat is famous for.
 
In international news Donald Trump called the investigation into the Capitol Hill riots a “kangaroo court” while former attorney general Bill Barr countered that Trump was “detached from reality”. And there was me thinking he was a reality TV star.
 
Frankly though, democrats saying this was an “attempted coup” played more into Republican hands. 
 
I was in Sri Racha following the news on Fox in a cheap hotel. It’s been a while since I watched that channel, and it will be a longer while again. It’d be better to get your news from Viz. 
 
Netflix said they planned to back a reality TV show based on the dystopian classic from South Korea, Squid Game. Contestants will take part in a series of challenges, hopefully not resulting in their deaths.
 
In sports news it was a mixed week for England. Their cricket team finally won a test series against New Zealand while their footballers were thrashed at home by Hungary. 
 
Better news came for Australia with the Socceroos beating Peru to qualify for the Qatar World Cup though NZ missed out to Costa Rica. 
 
In Malaysia the authorities got a step closer to ending the death penalty with that mandatory punishment ending for certain offences in October. 
 
Back in Thailand I was delighted to win the Eastern Scrabble Championships in Sri Racha becoming the oldest winner of a tournament in Thailand. I’m 61 next month. 
 
The Thai Crossword game association, as they are known, are refusing to sanction the new US dictionary that wanted 400 slurs taken out. So I was able to play YID and ABO to my heart’s content. 
 
Finally, there was great sadness, and more than a little comment, in Chiang Mai with the death of a 83 year old British biker. A Chinese woman apparently pulled out on him.
 
I didn’t know Keith McVeighty but clearly many on the forum did. He once competed in the TT race on the Isle of Man, where he hailed from.
 
It was a tragedy for a fellow biker but at least he died doing something he loved. 
 
We can’t ask for much more.
 
Rooster 

 

 

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[RandolphGB]

Yes, all positive vibes until some lunatic with psychosis induced from marijuana goes on a rampage. 

[Kevinphall]

I’m dubious to Bens self proclaimed ability to speak thai if he’s paying them silly prices. 

[stoner]

5 minutes ago, RandolphGB said:

Yes, all positive vibes until some lunatic with psychosis induced from marijuana goes on a rampage. 

this is a gag comment right ? 

 

no one goes on marijuana fueled rampages you sound quite silly. stop spreading fear, nonsense and lies. educate yourself please. 

[spidermike007]

Those prices quoted are insane. Hopefully competition will sort that out. In the US, you can get very high end stuff for around $300 an ounce. That equates to around 350 baht per gram. 

[spidermike007]

30 minutes ago, RandolphGB said:

Yes, all positive vibes until some lunatic with psychosis induced from marijuana goes on a rampage. 

Are you insane? Do you really believe that nonsense? Where did you read that, Qanon? Youtube? The church? Psychosis induced from ganga. Greater chance of that happening from Chang beer, vodka, or yaba. Please. Wise up and start reading some reliable material, or talk to some actual pot smokers. 

 

 

 

[NativeBob]

Last time I tried local weed it was heavily "boosted" with some strange chemicals and instead of fun or at least some good "stoner" mood it gave headache and massive hangover effect. Lets make it clear - it is just another herb and as you can see at Yowarat's shops there are no regulations on purity, chemical treatments and basic storage rules. Obviously they [weed growers] will and probably do apply all nasty chemicals already. On my opinion this is not worth spending even 50 satangs for a joint.

[huangnon]

14 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Are you insane? Do you really believe that nonsense? Where did you read that, Qanon? Youtube? The church? Psychosis induced from ganga. Greater chance of that happening from Chang beer, vodka, or yaba. Please. Wise up and start reading some reliable material, or talk to some actual pot smokers.

Will be interesting to see if any change to the horrendous traffic-accident stats here, from here on in..

 

Actually, the poster you're replying to may have a point. Some of the hybrid, hydroponic weed (skunk, etc), or synthetic THC ("Spice" etc) is so strong it's like a bad acid trip..

[SunnyinBangrak]

On 6/17/2022 at 5:48 AM, webfact said:

An Indian tourist from Calcutta overheard the conversation and asked if he could take his purchase with him to Samui. The consensus was that it’d be better to buy there where there are plenty of shops. 

I am in Samui now. I did not see a single cannabis dispensary. The place I used to buy it before the 9th june still sells, but it is expensive and busy and quality very low at the moment. Staff there told me it is still illegal in Samui and nothing changed at all, brown envelopes as per usual. Police are enforcing the 0.2% rule for buds they tell me. Now using someone I found on Line app and very happy with his service. Am I missing something?

[RafPinto]

The german guy forgot his mask and proud, queueing to buy some weed.

[spidermike007]

52 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

I am in Samui now. I did not see a single cannabis dispensary. The place I used to buy it before the 9th june still sells, but it is expensive and busy and quality very low at the moment. Staff there told me it is still illegal in Samui and nothing changed at all, brown envelopes as per usual. Police are enforcing the 0.2% rule for buds they tell me. Now using someone I found on Line app and very happy with his service. Am I missing something?

No. You are missing nothing. Many of us presumed the RTP would be unwilling to let this highly lucrative franchise go. It may end becoming a battle between the government and the RTP. That is if those small army goons even have the cajones to take on the RTP. 

[ozz1]

Yes I can't see the police giving their cash cow awayin a hurry how are they going to buy a New car now boo hoo

[Wuvu2]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Those prices quoted are insane. Hopefully competition will sort that out. In the US, you can get very high end stuff for around $300 an ounce. That equates to around 350 baht per gram. 

Ya, and American wages, land values, regulation costs, and taxation are sky high. The cost of production in Thailand can't be more than a third of that in the USA. At 150 baht/gram Thai sellers would still be making more profit than American counterparts.

 

There will be a tsunami of outdoor weed flooding the market by the end of the year. Going to the farmers market will be a lot of fun ????  

[malibukid]

doubt if this will ever happen in Chiang Mai

[RandolphGB]

4 hours ago, stoner said:

this is a gag comment right ? 

 

no one goes on marijuana fueled rampages you sound quite silly. stop spreading fear, nonsense and lies. educate yourself please. 

I love it when people make sweeping statements like 'nobody does that'. Your mind is, of course, the global database on drug-induced psychosis and crime.  

 

 

[RandolphGB]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Are you insane? Do you really believe that nonsense? Where did you read that, Qanon? Youtube? The church? Psychosis induced from ganga. Greater chance of that happening from Chang beer, vodka, or yaba. Please. Wise up and start reading some reliable material, or talk to some actual pot smokers. 

 

 

 

 

Take off your green-tinted glasses and educate yourself.

 

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/cannabis-induced-psychosis-review

 

[spidermike007]

18 minutes ago, RandolphGB said:

Take off your green-tinted glasses and educate yourself.

 

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/cannabis-induced-psychosis-review

 

Nah. I am not a smoker. But I used to be, and I had my choice of incredible quality hydroponic weed from British Colombia. I never experienced any ill effects, until near the time I stopped smoking. And that was simply feeling like I wished I was sober, once I got stoned! 

 

When I was alot younger, I used alot of drugs. My favorite of all time was LSD. A close second was mescaline, peyote, and psilocybin. Did alot of it. I speak from a place of having alot of experience. Never had anything bordering on a bad experience. Had a couple of friends who had some loose marbles, and they had bad trips. I think if you are on the verge, nearly anything can put you over the edge. This likely relates to a very small numbers of pot smokers, with very weak minds, or serious mental problems, to begin with. 

 

 

 

[Snig27]

24 minutes ago, RandolphGB said:

Take off your green-tinted glasses and educate yourself.

 

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/cannabis-induced-psychosis-review

 

When marijuana use triggers psychosis, there may be several different symptoms, all characterized by a break with reality. Common marijuana psychosis symptoms are paranoid delusions, suspiciousness, and a sense of grandiosity. Other potential symptoms include hallucinations, dissociation or a feeling of detachment and unreality, disorganized and disturbed thoughts, inappropriate emotional responses, and unusual changes in behavior. In most cases symptoms resolve once drug use is stopped.

and 

Psychotic symptoms are all characterized by a loss of touch with reality. While most people who use marijuana will never experience this, use of cannabis can trigger an episode of psychosis. It can cause symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, disordered thoughts, unusual behaviors and emotional responses, paranoia, suspicion, and others.

https://www.brightquest.com/cannabis-induced-psychosis/psychotic-symptoms-in-marijuana-smokers/#:~:text=Common marijuana psychosis symptoms are,and unusual changes in behavior.

That's a giant step away from "some lunatic with psychosis induced from marijuana goes on a rampage."

Move your brain out of the 1930s.

And, no, I don't smoke the stuff and haven't for 40 years.

[wombat]

5 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Yes, all positive vibes until some lunatic with psychosis induced from marijuana goes on a rampage. 

build a bridge and get over the propaganda you've been indoctrinated with.

[sambum]

5 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Yes, all positive vibes until some lunatic with psychosis induced from marijuana goes on a rampage. 

I wonder how many times that has happened compared to the psychosis being induced by alcohol?

[PJ71]

52 minutes ago, malibukid said:

doubt if this will ever happen in Chiang Mai

Why, is that in a different country?

[bkk6060]

1 hour ago, malibukid said:

doubt if this will ever happen in Chiang Mai

?  CM and Pai are some of the biggest backpacker weed head spots in Asia.  All that luscious land outside the city to grow in places like Mae Rim. Of course it will come very soon and big I bet.

[malibukid]

5 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

?  CM and Pai are some of the biggest backpacker weed head spots in Asia.  All that luscious land outside the city to grow in places like Mae Rim. Of course it will come very soon and big I bet.

ask  Beer if he has any plans on expanding to Chiang Mai?  things are done differently up here in the north.  maybe some brown envelopes will have to be produced?

[malibukid]

30 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

Why, is that in a different country?

as far as the cops in CM are concerned its a different country

[thaichina]

5 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

I am in Samui now. I did not see a single cannabis dispensary. The place I used to buy it before the 9th june still sells, but it is expensive and busy and quality very low at the moment. Staff there told me it is still illegal in Samui and nothing changed at all, brown envelopes as per usual. Police are enforcing the 0.2% rule for buds they tell me. Now using someone I found on Line app and very happy with his service. Am I missing something?

There is a dispensary in Samui, in Samthong resort, not sure they are open yet as they delated their opening yesterday, you should go have a look and report back. Not sure I can put the link, look for black spiky on facebook.

[alex8912]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Those prices quoted are insane. Hopefully competition will sort that out. In the US, you can get very high end stuff for around $300 an ounce. That equates to around 350 baht per gram. 

I've seen it as low as $165 an ounce in Massachusetts and it's much cheaper in Colorado. It varies from shop to shop. I don't think $300 an ounce is normal. 

[alex8912]

6 hours ago, huangnon said:

Will be interesting to see if any change to the horrendous traffic-accident stats here, from here on in..

 

Actually, the poster you're replying to may have a point. Some of the hybrid, hydroponic weed (skunk, etc), or synthetic THC ("Spice" etc) is so strong it's like a bad acid trip..

Then how can millions of Americans who have been purchasing legal weed in many states NEVER EVER have had ANYTHING compared to a bad acid trip!!  This of course includes weed that is 30% and higher in THC levels. You are scare mongering beyond belief!  Acid and weed are completely incomparable. Your post should be flushed down the toilet! 

[Lacessit]

I'm trying to make up my mind whether Tolstoy's "War and Peace" was shorter than the OP's post.

 

One minor gem or Freudian slip, when he commented on the British biker who was killed when a Chinese woman pulled out on him.

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, malibukid said:

doubt if this will ever happen in Chiang Mai

Wrong!

Female cannabis plants 30bht each outside MaeJo University every morning 8aam-10am.

Limited to 5 plants per customer, grown by MaeJo University.

Selling 400 plants a day since the 9th.

[juice777]

All this confusion is putting me off going to Thailand again. I never touch weed in Thailand as I can't enjoy it when I am worried if I am going to get Arrested, even when I lived there for 4 years II never touched it.

 

At home I am more or less stoned all day  nowadays's. I thought it was 0.2 THC only. What's going on have they found a loophole with the flower not being an extract or was that the plan all the time. Can I spark up a spiff now without the fear of the police?