A small conversation in a Chiang Mai Weed Shop.

[SamSanuk]

I rarely smoke, but when I do, I partake with a very weak sativa strain that is hard to find these days. So when I pass by a weed shop, I stop in briefly to see if they carry this strain. This time, I was in a Santitham neighborhood.

 

A nicely dressed young couple was inside looking to finish up a purchase. By their English they seemed to be Eastern European. The young man had a $1000 baht bill out and on the counter were a few small plastic bags of weed. All seemed well, they looked happy with their purchase, when the seller brought out a single sheet of paper, explaining in broken English they needed to show their passport, fill in their names, passport number and sign the document.

 

The couple paused, said a few words to each other in their language, then said that sadly they couldn’t consent to the purchase. I spoke up and said that Thailand is changing its recreational weed laws, and this is part of the new process.

 

The young lady turned to me, and very nicely said that weed is illegal in her country, and they couldn’t take the risk of this purchase showing up on their passport upon returning home. They apologized to the seller and left the shop.

 

Now, imagine this happening all across Thailand, and the chilling effect is very much there. I’m American and could care less what Uncle Sam thinks about my purchase of weed in Thailand. But for others from countries that frown on weed with repressive laws? It might be too much a risk. 
 

And so it goes.

[AndyAndyAndy]

If the client doesn't have a passport, you simply mark it as a purchase under one of the previous customers who had one, no? Opportunity for business optimization.

[CLW]

Huh? How is the purchase of weed showing up in their passport?

[Qman]

Could also be a risk if overstaying or have other immigration issues as you don't know who will look at the data log.  Would seem only downsides in providing information.

[lamyai3]

On 7/4/2025 at 2:29 PM, SamSanuk said:

I rarely smoke, but when I do, I partake with a very weak sativa strain that is hard to find these days. So when I pass by a weed shop, I stop in briefly to see if they carry this strain. This time, I was in a Santitham neighborhood.

 

A nicely dressed young couple was inside looking to finish up a purchase. By their English they seemed to be Eastern European. The young man had a $1000 baht bill out and on the counter were a few small plastic bags of weed. All seemed well, they looked happy with their purchase, when the seller brought out a single sheet of paper, explaining in broken English they needed to show their passport, fill in their names, passport number and sign the document.

 

The couple paused, said a few words to each other in their language, then said that sadly they couldn’t consent to the purchase. I spoke up and said that Thailand is changing its recreational weed laws, and this is part of the new process.

 

The young lady turned to me, and very nicely said that weed is illegal in her country, and they couldn’t take the risk of this purchase showing up on their passport upon returning home. They apologized to the seller and left the shop.

 

Now, imagine this happening all across Thailand, and the chilling effect is very much there. I’m American and could care less what Uncle Sam thinks about my purchase of weed in Thailand. But for others from countries that frown on weed with repressive laws? It might be too much a risk. 
 

And so it goes.

 

Interesting report. I think this is going to be a very common response from customers now, especially tourists. 

[GoFaster]

On 7/4/2025 at 2:29 PM, SamSanuk said:

I’m American and could care less what Uncle Sam thinks

Why do Americans say " Could care less " when they obviously mean they could  NOT care less ? Dana White says it often and it makes him look stupid IMO.

[novacova]

11 minutes ago, GoFaster said:

Why do Americans say " Could care less " when they obviously mean they could  NOT care less ? Dana White says it often and it makes him look stupid IMO.

It means that the person still has some care left about the matter, can care less but doesn’t. Obviously you do care about it, and that’s nice of ya.

[gargamon]

25 minutes ago, GoFaster said:

Why do Americans say " Could care less " when they obviously mean they could  NOT care less ? Dana White says it often and it makes him look stupid IMO.

It only works if it's sarcasm. Dana White likely doesn't know what sarcasm is.

[SamSanuk]

1 hour ago, CLW said:

Huh? How is the purchase of weed showing up in their passport?

I don’t think it is, as I spoke to a friend this morning who owns a weed shop, he seemed to say that it’s very doubtful the information would leave Thailand. However, depending on where you are from, it could be a risk one is not willing to take. After all, my weed friend said it is a controlled substance.

[SamSanuk]

Small addendum from my friend who owns a CM weed shop. He did mention that the current law changes are forcing many weed shops to close simply because they don’t have a license to sell weed. Even the big boys in town may have cut corners.

 

As for his shop, he already has a Thai doctor lined up and will have to do some renovations in the shop, setting up a separate room for consultations. Probably add “clinic” to the name of the shop.

As for medical fees he’s not awfully concerned, and may split the cost with the customer.

[Plan B]

Many coffee shops in Netherlands do the same for first time customers. It's really no big deal. 

[LukKrueng]

3 hours ago, GoFaster said:

Why do Americans say " Could care less " when they obviously mean they could  NOT care less ? Dana White says it often and it makes him look stupid IMO.

You are correct. Here's the answer:

“I couldn’t care less” vs. “I could care less”

These phrases, meant to communicate that someone doesn’t care about something, are often used interchangeably, even though only one of them technically conveys the intended meaning.

“I couldn’t care less” is the correct way to express having complete apathy toward something. When someone says, “I could care less,” they’re actually saying that they do care because there are other things they care less about. Usually, when someone says “I could care less,” they are actually trying to say the opposite.

Source: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/commonly-confused-words/couldnt-care-less/

 

Pretty much the same with "could of / should of / would of" which should actually be "could have / would have / should have" or in the short form "would've  / should've / could've" and many people on AN keep saying/writing it wrong.

[Caldera]

I can see how this will become a concern for people from repressive countries who know their country is keeping a watchful eye on them.

 

I don't think Thailand will share this information with other countries voluntarily, but a data leak is a very real possibility considering the sad state of cyber security.

 

Using the data obtained from such a breach to deduct a few social credit points (or worse) isn't exactly unthinkable. 

[pacovl46]

16 hours ago, CLW said:

Huh? How is the purchase of weed showing up in their passport?

Exactly! Paranoia at its best. 

[CLW]

10 hours ago, Caldera said:

I can see how this will become a concern for people from repressive countries who know their country is keeping a watchful eye on them.

 

I don't think Thailand will share this information with other countries voluntarily, but a data leak is a very real possibility considering the sad state of cyber security.

 

Using the data obtained from such a breach to deduct a few social credit points (or worse) isn't exactly unthinkable. 

The shops are not required to keep digital records. Paper is fine. After one year it can be destroyed 

[KhunLA]

If you're in a high security job, especially if with govt, that could definitely be a problem.  From experience, don't believe any privacy laws that state they can't, don't or won't pass your info to another entity.