cannabis retailers in Bangkok

[wordchild]

There must be more than 30  Cannabis shops , all opened in the last few months,  within 1km of where i live in Bangkok. 2 (just opened) on the small soi where we live!

My kids like to play "spot the new weed shop" whenever we drive somewhere locally (2 points if a new shop -1 if it was spotted before). 

It is obvious that some serious money has been spent on many of these places, plus lease and other commitments, yet i hardly ever see anyone in any of them.

It seems to me that  a great deal of cash is going to  get burned here (along with the other substances). Especially as online sales really get going.

Am i missing something?

Many of these places seem to have foreign involvement one way or another,   and i assume that the investors are not completely insane. 

 

Can anyone (who knows) explain the business rationale here?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2023 by wordchild

[BritManToo]

No idea, one opened up just outside my 'rural' MooBaan.

I've not ever seen a customer in there since they opened.

 

A new coffee shop opened up this week as well.

To compete with the 50 other coffee shops within 1Km of my home.

I did have my first and last coffee there this morning, a lukewarm Latte.

I won't be going back.

Edited February 25, 2023 by BritManToo

[bamnutsak]

Yawn. We've seen similar thread starters.

 

The boom, copy and bust cycle in customer retail here is in the DNA.

 

Why are there so many fillintheblank in Thailand?

 

Look on the bright side, your children are learning to count, and do math.

 

 

26 minutes ago, wordchild said:

yet i hardly ever see anyone in any of them.

Hmm. So you've been in all these shops? With no customers? Lemme guess, you're doing "market research"?

 

26 minutes ago, wordchild said:

Many of these places seem to have foreign involvement one way or another

How would you even know this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2023 by bamnutsak

[taninthai]

Op it’s the same where I am but it is a tourist area ,I was saying to my mate surely half of these got to close,,then I go down to one to look at bongs and they rented two more spaces either side so shop 3 times as big and has a bar on the side aswell????????????????????very few customers I don’t get it,,,,,,think there cheapest weed is 500 bht I get that they will make a few sales to tourist but surely not making no where near enough to cover all the expenditure it’s a long low season where I am so time will tell

[wordchild]

24 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

Yawn. We've seen similar thread starters.

 

The boom, copy and bust cycle in customer retail here is in the DNA.

 

Why are there so many fillintheblank in Thailand?

 

Look on the bright side, your children are learning to count, and do math.

 

 

Hmm. So you've been in all these shops? With no customers? Lemme guess, you're doing "market research"?

 

How would you even know this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

First of all, my apologies if there have been many other threads on this subject, i am not a regular on this forum , but i should have checked. ( The mods are welcome to delete if they feel its appropriate) 

How do i know about foreign involvement? mainly because i see it; there are 4 or 5 shops that i pass regularly , on my way to and from the BTS (or on school run)  and also a couple around my office. In at least 3 of these shops i noticed foreigners involved as the shops were being set up. 1 of them actually has a farang guy on the counter most days when i pass, - doubt that will last long! 

 

I ask am i missing something, because possibly i am; I never understood the preponderance of tailor shops along Suk until a Thai Indian Doctor explained the reason  to me a few years ago.

Edited February 25, 2023 by wordchild

[wordchild]

29 minutes ago, taninthai said:

Op it’s the same where I am but it is a tourist area ,I was saying to my mate surely half of these got to close,,then I go down to one to look at bongs and they rented two more spaces either side so shop 3 times as big and has a bar on the side aswell????????????????????very few customers I don’t get it,,,,,,think there cheapest weed is 500 bht I get that they will make a few sales to tourist but surely not making no where near enough to cover all the expenditure it’s a long low season where I am so time will tell

Yes, its not like some of these places are small. i can think of a couple that have serious prime frontage (3/4 shophouses). 

Some significant cash staked here.

[LS24]

I'm away from the tourist areas near Bang Yai and one of my favourite Khmer restaurants closed recently. There was a new shop fitout for a weed store and the capital expenditure has been large. Very high quality fitout. Close to 100m2 ground floor area and assuming the same upstairs for both levels. There is a high quality furniture.

 

Assume that there will be a large mail order trade, but unsure on how they plan to bring in the local clientele with high weed prices. Time will tell. I on the other hand an wonderign where I am going to get my next lok lak fix.

[Seppius]

There is the risk for these places that a new government, after the May elections, might have a different view.

 

The no smoking on the premises was the first blow to some of the larger ones that set up as "Amsterdam" style coffee shops

[bamnutsak]

51 minutes ago, Seppius said:

There is the risk for these places that a new government, after the May elections, might have a different view.

Yes. And if they fall back to medical-only that will further complicate retail distribution. Many hope that after a year without any issues recreational use will stick, albeit with a lot more rules, regulations. A new Minsiter of Public Health could easily rescind Anutin's order, or severely modify it before a new Parliament gets around fashioning a new Cannabis Control Act.

 

 

Yes, there are too many physical cannabis outlets. One list I saw said 3,800 in the country and 880 in Bangkok. Not sure how many are licensed? The licensing process is fairly simple, not too expensive, but a significant number (20% ?) are probably unlicensed.

Yes, there are too many online outlets.

Yes, there are too many people growing too much cannabis.

Yes, too many people are investing too much money in cannabis retail activities.

These shophouses were empty, and what are you going to put in these spaces? Another coffee shop, 7/11, bakery, massage joint, beer bar, nail salon, hair salon, pharmacy,....?

Nothing really new here.

 

I've visited some dispesaries in Thai-dominated areas of Bangkok. Most have been opened since July, 2022 and are still open.

Search YouTube for "weed shop tour" this month.

There are some big spots as well.

I think foreigners need to have a minority stake and have a Thai partner with a majority stake.

Berner opened his Cookies shop on Ruam Rudee to great fanfare.

[SuperSilverHaze]

Most open without a clue of market forces a d simple supply demand.

 

The smart ones, possibly foreign involvement see and playing a long game.

 

As expensive as being on Sukhumvhit is these shops get the traffic.

 

IMO the trick for weed shop is to have super low overhead, access to transport BTS/MRT or prime space but former is enough, understands market selling to, understands it's a commodity and volume game.

 

Most will die.

 

illegal online will undercut prices always. Can't compete with a guy selling weed out of his condo in his underwear. Government needs to require physical retail store

 

*I know of two shops already that are closed.

Edited March 2, 2023 by SuperSilverHaze

[Seppius]

There are now 6 on Pratumnak 5, all within a few hundred meters

[wordchild]

On 3/2/2023 at 12:02 AM, SuperSilverHaze said:

Most open without a clue of market forces a d simple supply demand.

 

The smart ones, possibly foreign involvement see and playing a long game.

 

As expensive as being on Sukhumvhit is these shops get the traffic.

 

IMO the trick for weed shop is to have super low overhead, access to transport BTS/MRT or prime space but former is enough, understands market selling to, understands it's a commodity and volume game.

 

Most will die.

 

illegal online will undercut prices always. Can't compete with a guy selling weed out of his condo in his underwear. Government needs to require physical retail store

 

*I know of two shops already that are closed.

Funnily enough one of the 5/6 shops that i pass regularly and mentioned in the OP  (suk area) seems to have just closed in the last few days; just a few empty shelves now.

I wonder what the deal was with the lease- maybe his girlfriend can reopen it as a massage/coffee shop!

 

[Cult of the Sun]

2 hours ago, yocanvape said:

Which brand of atomizer is good?☺️

Make cookies, better for your lungs.

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, Cult of the Sun said:

Make cookies, better for your lungs.

I doubt smoking 0.5gm/day of weed will have any adverse effect on my lungs

Considering the smoggy CM air I'm already breathing 24/7.

Edited March 15, 2023 by BritManToo

[Cult of the Sun]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I doubt smoking 0.5gm/day of weed will have any adverse effect on my lungs

Considering the smoggy CM air I'm already breathing 24/7.

I had not considered that. ????

[Cult of the Sun]

On 3/1/2023 at 6:02 PM, SuperSilverHaze said:

\

 

Most will die.

 

illegal online will undercut prices always. Can't compete with a guy selling weed out of his condo in his underwear. Government needs to require physical retail store

 

*I know of two shops already that are closed.

In DC, most grow their own and very few locals buy from the shops.  Pretty sure you can have your own plants there. They grow like ..uh.. weeds..

Edited March 15, 2023 by Cult of the Sun

[Dogmatix]

Was walking around Sukhumvit Soi 11 and 13 yesterday morning and the proliferation of weed shops is impressive.  No need for the mobile shops at all any more but there will big losses of investments, if the next government decides to ban it again, as threatened by Thaksin.  Let's hope his daughter doesn't become PM after the election, although the military will send her off to join daddy and aunty Yingluck, if she gets too uppity.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Dogmatix

[Mr Meeseeks]

On 3/2/2023 at 2:12 PM, Seppius said:

There are now 6 on Pratumnak 5, all within a few hundred meters

Yeh I went down there the other day, on the way down to cozy beach. Had a wee snifter of their products, not impressed tbh. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

On 3/21/2023 at 11:00 AM, Dogmatix said:

Was walking around Sukhumvit Soi 11 and 13 yesterday morning and the proliferation of weed shops is impressive.  No need for the mobile shops at all any more but there will big losses of investments, if the next government decides to ban it again, as threatened by Thaksin.  Let's hope his daughter doesn't become PM after the election, although the military will send her off to join daddy and aunty Yingluck, if she gets too uppity.

Buriram mafia have billions invested, and that's what it is really all about. Will be interesting to see what happens after the election for sure. Thaksin will still be out for revenge after being betrayed by Newin in 2008. 

[Dogmatix]

20 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Buriram mafia have billions invested, and that's what it is really all about. Will be interesting to see what happens after the election for sure. Thaksin will still be out for revenge after being betrayed by Newin in 2008. 

Bhumjai Thai is also set to do well in the election and increase its seats. Althtough their power base is in the NE, especially Buriram and Srisaket, they have been aggressively targeting the South, particularly Democrat held seats there, which explains why the Dems did a volte face and torpedoed the second reading of the Cannabis Bill after supporting the first one.   Although Anutin is a venal individual and messed up big time over vaccines, cannabis afficionados have to hope his party does well enough to be in the next government and for Anutin to get the public health ministry again.

 

Closing all this shops and businesses would create a huge backlash but Thaksin wouldn't care, if he got enough power after the election.  He would present himself as the saviour of the nation's youth as he did in his murderous war on drugs which left many children and youths dead or orphaned, as police went on a killing spree to protect the drug dealing networks they sponsor and eliminate competition, as well as drive up the price.  Police and police affiliated dope dealers ae hurting fro the legalisation of cannabis. Prices of their yaabaa have plummeted as users switch to a legal and readily available alternative. Also bribe money from shaking down cannabis dealers has dropped to zero. Thaksin is always supportive of police gangster networks  He is also still out for revenge against drug deealers in general for supplying his son.

[digbeth]

Cannabis leaf are classified as produce and don't need to incur the VAT right?

 

Just pay the corporation tax on the income if your shop is registered as a company

 

Being high value, you could launder a lot of income, say you clam to sell 2-300kg a month and pay legit tax on that, come filing day next year, the tax man are not gonna come looking for evidence that you've grown all the weeds yourself, the fertilizer, water and electricity bills