The latest cannabis cafe in the Pattaya area opened today in a surprising place: right next door to the headquarters of Chonburi immigration headquarters. Named 555 Marihuana Cafe, the list of beverages includes various tea and coffee ganjas as well as fruit concoctions including kiwi, passionfruit, strawberry and blueberry. Prices range from 59 to 79 baht.
Although cannabis as a leisure pursuit remains illegal, the government announced amendments to the narcotics law in 2018 to legalize the drug for medical treatment for 38 diseases. In 2020 the law was further amended to allow the ingredient in cooking food and providing non-alcoholic drinks.
The amount of cafe cannabis is strictly controlled by law and must be less than 0.2 percent of its presence in parts of the plant such as stalks and stems. The growing of cannabis plants and its sale are also controlled by the Food and Drugs Administration and ancillary bodies.
There are currently no plans to decriminalize pot smoking for pleasure. Thailand has over 300,000 prison inmates and the vast majority are incarcerated for drugs-related crimes. Cannabis is rated category 5, the least serious grouping. Thailand is the first country in Asia to liberalize drug laws.
