A person enters a cannabis shop near the venue of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov 17, 2022.BANGKOK — Near the grand conference halls in central Bangkok where Asian leaders will meet this week, a plethora of marijuana shops — the Thai capital's newest tourist draw — were bustling despite a controversy that threatens the growing sector., shops selling homegrown and imported strains, pre-rolled joints and gummies sprang up rapidly.
A cannabis regulation bill to govern cultivation, sale, and consumption has been delayed in parliament, causing confusion over just aspects will be legal. Authorities later rushed through piecemeal updates to the regulation clarifying that cannabis could not be sold to children or near schools and temples.Netnapa Singathit had a smoking room for a short while after opening her RG420 cannabis store in central Bangkok, but she switched to serving drinks after authorities banned such rooms.