Here’s the intro to the piece
High season is coming to Thailand. As November approaches, the country gears up to welcome peak tourist arrivals that last well into February. But this year, the Southeast Asian country is anticipating a different kind of “high.”
Since its highly anticipated cannabis legalization in June, Thailand is steadily morphing into what many are labeling the “Amsterdam of Asia.” The landmark liberalization, paired with the country’s post-COVID reopening, has seen cannabis businesses sprout across the country, eager to join the green rush.
Among them is Amitta Chaophetdee, a reggae singer known by her stage name Bambi420 and the co-owner of Wichai Paipar Shop, a vibey joint in Pattaya city. Lit in a cool purple glow, Amitta’s customers take their pick from the shop’s assortment of cannabis offerings before reclining on a couch or playing a stoned game of pool.
Since opening the shop in August, Amitta says that they have amassed a loyal crowd, along with a growing stream of brands and weed wholesalers seeking partnerships.
“In June, we woke up with a dream come true,” Amitta told VICE World News this week. “It made selling and buying cannabis more smooth, and nobody disturbed [us].”
read full article
https://www.vice.com/en/article/4ax5dd/thailand-cannabis-legalization
