Weeding Out in 2026
thailandTHC Issue #110
Sawadee Everyone,
If your New Year’s resolution was to cut back on the green stuff, you’re apparently not alone (we see you, 8% of Americans). For the rest of us, grab your favorite CBD-infused coffee and let’s dive into a week that saw massive shifts in the Thai market and some mind-bending science.
In today’s edition:
The Great Weeding Out: 7,000 Thai shops close their doors.
Microdose Macro Numbers: 10 million Americans are getting just a little bit high.
Buzzkills: Police raids in Krabi and warnings in Pai.
🇹🇭 MARKET WATCH: The Great Weeding Out
If you’ve walked down Sukhumvit lately and noticed a few less neon leaves flickering in the night, you aren’t hallucinating. The numbers are in, and they are staggering: Over 7,000 cannabis shops in Thailand have shuttered in the last year.
The details:
The Drop: In 2025, licenses for 8,636 shops expired, but only 1,339 renewed them. That’s a renewal rate of just 15.5%.
The Reason: The government is tightening the screws. New regulations require sellers to operate in designated facilities (like medical clinics) and have trained personnel on-site.
The Vibe: Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat says this is about “upgrading” the industry to protect consumers.
Our take: While seeing shops close is a bummer, it’s a sign the “Wild West” era is ending.
Side note on politics: You might have noticed our old friend Anutin Charnvirakul (the “Cannabis King” himself) has been pretty quiet on the campaign trail lately regarding weed. With Pheu Thai candidates like Yodchanan Wongsawat vowing a “war on drugs” and promising to wipe out narcotics in six months, our friends in the Bhumjaithai Party are likely keeping their heads down to protect the legacy of legalization. Smart move? Only time will tell.
🌏 WORLD WIDE WEED
🇺🇸 America is Microdosing En Masse
A new RAND Corporation report shows that nearly 10 million US adults microdosed psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, or MDMA) in 2025.
Why? Creativity and well-being.
The Stat: 69% of psilocybin users said they microdosed at least once. It seems the “honey, I shrunk the dose” approach is going mainstream.
🇶🇦 Nightmare in Qatar
A somber warning for anyone traveling through the Middle East: An 18-year-old British teen is facing a prison nightmare in Qatar after being caught with cannabis while transiting from Thailand. His family says he was coerced.
The Lesson: Check your bags, check them again, and maybe don’t fly through countries with zero-tolerance policies if you’ve been anywhere near a dispensary.
👮 THE BUZZKILL: Raids & Regulations
It wasn’t all smooth sailing in the Land of Smiles this week. Authorities are cracking down on bad actors and public nuisances.
Krabi Raid: A massive cannabis farm in Krabi run by an Israeli national was raided for using Thai nominees to dodge ownership laws. They found a high-tech setup with keycard access and... 40 million baht in circulation.
Pai Politeness: Police in the chill mountain town of Pai are warning tourists to stop smoking on the walking street. Keep it in the designated areas, folks. We don’t want to give the prohibitionists any ammo!
Vape Warning: “Product Watch” is warning that cute, toy-like cannabis vapes are flooding the market and targeting kids. Not cool. Keep the products adult-oriented, please.
🔬 SCIENCE CORNER
Jurassic Pot
Scientists have reconstructed ancient cannabis enzymes (think Jurassic Park, but chill) to see how THC and CBD evolved millions of years ago.
The Discovery: Ancient enzymes were “promiscuous”—they could make multiple cannabinoids at once. Modern enzymes are specialists.
The Future: This could help biotech companies brew up rare cannabinoids like CBC much faster.
Cancer Fighter?
A new review from China suggests CBD has “substantial promise” as an anti-tumor agent, potentially messing with cancer cells’ ability to grow and spread. It’s still early days, but “anti-tumor” is music to our ears.
🥤 DRINK UP
Can Cannabis Cure the Hangover?
Well, maybe not cure it, but prevent it. A survey found that people who drink cannabis-infused beverages are successfully cutting back on alcohol.
The Stat: Users went from ~7 alcoholic drinks a week to 3.35 after switching to the green juice.
The Catch: Just be careful mixing them. Another study found that CBD + THC + Caffeine can actually increaseimpairment more than you expect. Sip responsibly!
That’s a wrap for this week!
Remember, the industry is changing fast. Stay safe, respect the local laws (especially in Pai!), and keep supporting the good shops that are doing it right.