Thailand’s decriminalization of weed is generating a lot of interest among young entrepreneurs

Thailand’s recent decision to decriminalize marijuana has inspired many young people looking to make their mark on the new and exciting industry.

Aljazeera spoke to some residents of the country, who are seeing a boom in cannabis products, from pre-rolled joints to bottles of Sriracha with a weed twist.

Photo by Sumit Chinchane via Unsplash

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“My ‘Gen Z’ age group doesn’t really drink alcohol, but we do smoke weed,” said Mada, a 21-year-old woman who works at a cannabis dispensary in eastern Thailand. Their stance on cannabis contrasts with that of the Thai government, which claims to have legalized the plant to make it easier for growers and consumers to access cannabis for medicinal and culinary uses.

Still, consumers and those investing in weed are taking advantage of this newly adopted easy-going attitude and starting their own businesses from the comfort of their smartphones.

“Since the law changed, you see stories on Instagram about how many of my age group now have a new opportunity to make a living,” Mada said. As with most businesses, with the help of social media, it becomes much easier to reach an audience. In the case of cannabis, these hashtags and offers are in disguise (#saikiew, meaning “green living”), but still lead to profitable business ventures.

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While the laws allow people interested in making money from cannabis to operate with relative freedom, experts expect that to change soon. The Thai government is under pressure to control the growth of cannabis and educate the public about the drug’s purpose under Thai law. They are also concerned about the plant’s effect on children and whether this new environment will make them more likely to have access to the drug.

Still, it may be too late to control cannabis. The switch is flipped. “It’s interesting to see how society is changing around the thought of ‘cha-ching’ (money),” said Chokwan “Kitty” Chopaka, a longtime cannabis advocate. “Suddenly a ‘drug’ became a businessman and a bedroom breeder became a master breeder.”