Walking around Chiang Mai, it is hard not to notice how visible cannabis culture has become in recent years. Dispensaries now sit alongside cafés, massage shops, and guesthouses, their storefronts marked by green crosses, stylized cannabis leaves, or playful neon signs. I was not interested in buying anything, but the sheer number of shops, and how openly they operate, made them an unexpected part of the city’s everyday streetscape.

This openness can be traced back to a major policy shift in Thailand. In 2018, the country became the first in Asia to legalize medical cannabis. Medicinal use was decriminalized, with products allowed under medical regulation and patients required to obtain prescriptions from licensed medical practitioners. At the time, there were no strict restrictions on tetrahydrocannabinol for medical use, which set Thailand apart from many countries that approached legalization far more cautiously.

Despite this change, cannabis use in public remains tightly controlled. Smoking or vaping in public places is still considered a public nuisance under the Public Health Act of 1992, and violations can lead to fines of up to 25,000 baht. This balance, legal access on one hand and strict public conduct rules on the other, shapes how cannabis fits into daily life. The shops may be visible, but public consumption is clearly discouraged.

What stood out to me was how normalized these dispensaries seemed. Some looked clean and clinical, resembling pharmacies, while others leaned into lifestyle branding with curated interiors and menu boards displayed like those in cafés. In one area, I even noticed a poster advertising a cannabis cultivation workshop, something that would have been unthinkable not long ago. It suggested that cannabis here is no longer only about use, but also about regulated growing, education, and small-scale enterprise.