What now for Thailand’s weed industry?
As a new government takes office, regulation is as hazy as a Bangkok café
Visitors to Sukhumvit, Bangkok’s party district, have long been enticed with fake Rolexes and all manner of massages. Over the past year, weed has also been pressed on them. Since June 2022, when Thailand became the first South-East Asian country to decriminalise the drug, stoners in Bangkok have been spoilt for choice. They can eat at cafés offering “happy meals” or buy joints at dispensaries. At Thai Cannabis Club, your correspondent was offered a strain called “gushers” with the promise of flavours of “sour tropical fruits and rich creamy cookies in every toke”.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Budding growth”
From the September 2nd 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Asia
By resisting arrest, South Korea’s president challenges democracy
His attempt to impose martial law failed. But Yoon Suk Yeol is still causing trouble
How 1.4bn Indians are adapting to climate change
As heat, floods and drought get worse, people are getting creative
Economic bright spots are getting harder to find in Thailand
Falling car production is a sign of a deeper malaise
Another accidental aircraft shootdown is a matter of when, not if
The spread of conflict in Asia threatens the safety of air travellers
Why you’re not on holiday in India right now
A fabulous destination for foreign tourists does little to lure them
Singapore’s government is determined to keep hawker centres alive
Why is the city-state’s bare-bones government running a bureaucracy of stir-fries?