Business As Usual?

[short-Timer]

There’s a small cannabis shop in my quiet soi that doesn’t seem to get much foot traffic, but it’s always open in the evenings, usually until around midnight. Last night, for the first time since it opened up about eight or ten months ago, it was closed. At first I assumed they were just taking a night off, but then I remembered the new laws went into effect yesterday, which might explain it.

 

I’m curious how shops in the main tourist areas are responding to the changes. Have any of the big and expensive cannabis stores around Sukhumvit, like in Nana, Asoke, Soi 11, etc, shut down, or are they still operating as usual?
 

I assume at some point they’ll all set up systems to provide medical slips for tourists, but that takes time to implement. In the meantime, are they still selling like normal I wonder? And has the usual smell of cannabis in the air around those streets changed at all?

 

If anyone’s been through those areas in the last 24-48 hours and noticed anything different, I’d be interested to hear.

[KannikaP]

Is it still now only allowed if below 0.02 or is it 0.2% THC or CBD. No-one seems to know.

[RSD1]

I think from here on out we’re going to see business continue as usual, but with an even greater shift toward online sales as the industry moves back underground. High-rent retail shops catering to tourists will likely start closing, but online sales will carry on, probably without requiring any medical certificates. Many sellers already use services like Flash or the Thai postal service for delivery, though I suspect we’ll see a move toward private courier companies instead, as a way to minimize any legal exposure from online sales.

 

The shop I buy from can deliver anywhere in Bangkok within a couple of hours using Grab or LaLaMove. I don’t think local delivery through motorcycle messengers like this will ever become an issue, since the packages are picked up and dropped off quickly within about an hour and without ever passing through a facility where inspections can take place.

 

Of course, there will eventually be some effort by the government to enforce the new laws and carry out inspections, but that will likely focus on retail shops. Even then, enforcement is going to be a major challenge. How many shops can they realistically visit to inspect to see if they are really checking customers for medical certificates? There are over 10,000 retail shops and only 365 days in a year.