Last updated on September 26th, 2023 at 08:56 am
Thailand removed cannabis leaves from the narcotics list in December of 2020. This has resulted in cannabis cafes opening up across the country.
The first cannabis cafe to open was Ban Lao Rueng (Storytelling House) in Prachinburi. Ban Lao Rueng serves everything from tempura marijuana leaves to pot pizza.
Down the road from Ban Lao Rueng in Prachinburi is the Chaophraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital which also has put marijuana on the menu. The hospital was the first medical marijuana clinic in Thailand.
The hospital’s cafe is called “Ganja Ros” or “Taste of Ganja” and is a delightful outdoor eating area. Diners can enjoy a nice meal along with a cannabis infused drink while taking in the garden.
Both serve a delicious selection of cooked meals as well as pastries and cookies prepared with marijuana plants.
Closer to home for Bangkok residents is the 420 Cannabis Bar also known as Kanom Siam. There, you will find the restaurant’s pandan coconut Thai pancakes made with cannabis.
If you’re looking to get high though, you will be disappointed.
The new regulations only allow for the leaves, stems, stalks and roots to be used in foods and cosmetics.
While these parts of the plant do contain THC, it is only present in trace amounts.
When we visited both Ban Lao Rueng and Taste of Ganja, both were teeming with Thais buying snacks in bulk.
The parking lots of both were full of Mercedes, BMWs, pickup trucks, and motorbikes. And the diners were everyone from young couples to families with elderly grandparents.
In a country that has long had some of the most strict drug laws in the world, it is still odd to see marijuana available so openly.
Even when ordering dishes with names like Smiley Tempura or Happy Bread, it seemed so normal. If you didn’t know what was on the menu, you would have no way of knowing that they were serving marijuana. Both looked like any other upscale cafe in Thailand.
I ordered the Happy Bread and a cannabis infused drink at Taste of Ganja. Later I purchased some cookies at Ban Lao Rueng.
Everything was delicious. If it were not for the actual marijuana leaves on the food, I wouldn’t have noticed that they contained a special ingredient.
If you find yourself in Prachinburi, I can recommend both.
I have not had an opportunity to visit Kanom Siam yet but I hope to soon. And hopefully we see more cannabis cafes opening across the country.
