Bangkok is becoming Asia’s ‘Amsterdam’ as cannabis cafes appear across the city following the relaxation of drug laws. The latest venue, the 420 Cannabis Bar, opened two futuristic neon-lit venues for dine-in customers within the Thai capital city last month. The cafes are decorated with colourful lights and artificial cannabis plants making it look like a marijuana greenhouse.

It is the latest cannabis-based cafe – with restaurants, bars, stalls, bakers and even vending machines appearing around the country. Ministers hope the plant will be a ‘cash crop’ to stimulate the struggling tourist-dependent economy which is reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The relaxation of laws has even seen soaring share prices of businesses developing cannabis-based products, with some publicly-traded companies seeing 11 per cent rises on Wednesday (March 17). With thousands of neon-lit gogo bars and massage parlours already open, the addition of cannabis cafes would make the city the Asian equivalent of Amsterdam in Holland. At the 420 Cannabis Bar, drinks are available in different flavoured teas such as pandan, cocoa, plum soda, kiwi, apple, honey lemon, and it also comes in an unflavoured variant for those who are feeling adventurous.

– Read the entire article at Yahoo News.