Is Thailand the best place to get legally high?

The decision by Thailand’s Minister of Health to fully decriminalise cannabis on June 12 a few years ago came as a complete surprise to me – and I had been following the situation closely, both as a writer and as a longtime lover of weed. It was such a shock that just the night before I had bought an ounce of the Jungle flower we’d all been smoking here for decades. I paid about $60 and thought I was getting a great deal. Little did I know that within days, this rough, chopped-up, vacuum-packed weed would be essentially worthless. I still smoked it, of course.

That’s how it happened here in Thailand. One day, the weed was low-quality – stems and seeds included. To buy it, you had to meet some guy on a dark road or in an alley, hoping not to get ripped off or robbed and hoping you’d make it home without getting caught by the cops for some reason. Even if they didn’t catch you red-eyed, they might still pull you over and give you a urine test by the side of the road days later, with no reason or provocation.

Then, the next day, everything changed. Not only did the government release 3,000 people from jail who were serving time for marijuana-related offences, but they also returned confiscated weed, as long as it hadn’t already been ‘destroyed.’

Some people must have had insider info because, within days of the cannabis laws changing, dispensaries and cafes started popping up everywhere. The first legal weed I bought was at a stand in the local Tesco Lotus supermarket. It wasn’t much better than the jungle weed we had been getting, but it was about six dollars per gram, and that seemed like a deal.

One of the effects of this easily accessible, cheap, and potent weed is how generous people are with their smoke. People are sharing joints, passing out buds for comparison, and trading tips on where to get the best price

Soon after, the market was flooded with premium strains from around the world. Many of us who had been smoking low-quality weed for years were suddenly faced with huge, colourful buds with wild names and funky aromas. The price was high – about twenty-five to thirty dollars per gram – but this weed was like switching from homebrew to fine French wine.

Within months the number of shops skyrocketed, and prices began to drop. The high-powered strains were now being grown locally – no more import costs. Strains like Dosi-Dos, Godfather, and Runtz were priced at fifteen to twenty dollars per gram, and the buds were gorgeous. The old Thai strains we’d been smoking dropped to around three dollars per gram. It seemed like an amazing time.

In the past year, prices have dropped to the unthinkable. Shops are closing, and the owners are selling their stock at fire-sale prices – less than a dollar per gram. This afternoon, my local shop had a sale on Blackberry Durian, one of the best strains I’ve ever smoked. It was priced at a dollar and a half per gram. When the owner rang up the sale, he told me, “Don’t worry, I gave you a discount.” The Blackberry Durian ended up costing just a dollar per gram.

One of the effects of this easily accessible, cheap, and potent weed is how generous people are with their smoke. People are sharing joints, passing out buds for comparison, and trading tips on where to get the best price of the week. Don’t feel like going to the spot? No problem. There are plenty of sellers on Facebook Marketplace offering a wide selection, usually for less than brick-and-mortar shops. You can order an ounce for twenty-five bucks and have it delivered to your door the next day with no drama.

Thailand is now one of the cheapest places in the world to legally get high. The rock-bottom prices have chased away most foreigners who were hoping to ride the “Green Wave” that had been hyped in the first two years after decriminalisation. Some people lost a lot of money, but Thais have a different way of seeing business and profit. Generally, Thais set up small businesses with a long-term perspective. The most successful cannabis shops today are often part of a complementary business. I know dispensaries that also serve ice cream, run burger cafes, and, of course, tattoo parlours. Thai families tend to live in and be involved in the shop, so instead of being an expense, the shop provides housing, and labour is free when grandma and the nieces help with cutting, sorting, and selling the weed.

In big tourist cities and Bangkok, there is an effort by some of the bigger, nicer dispensaries to keep the prices high. The Siam Green franchise, with multiple locations that look like spas, advertises its lowest price at 500 baht per gram, about seventeen dollars. There’s room for high-end places that cater to consumers who not only want premium weed but also a stylish setting in which to smoke and relax.

It may sound like I’m describing a paradise for stoners. To be honest, I am. Decriminalised, cheap, high-quality weed is available almost everywhere, and it’s freely smoked and exchanged. This is the reality where I live, and as far as I know, there’s been no significant social pushback since that landmark decision three years ago.

That said, it’s possible that some regulations could be introduced, and I think they would be welcomed. Perhaps there will be restrictions on selling hours or distances from schools. Everyone expects the current vague licensing rules to be clarified. But no matter what happens, it seems impossible that this big green genie – which brought $850 million into the Thai economy in 2024 alone – is going back into its bottle. Thailand really is one of the best places in the world to get high.