All photos Neil Shelley
Green was trading hands and filling pipes atop a sweltering rooftop where the only protection from the searing heat were the copious clouds of smoke.
With exhibitions, product demonstrations, networking, free swag, workshops, and a pre-#metoo bevy of booth babes, a festival long geared toward the underground growing scene completed its evolution this weekend into a full-blown industry trade show.
Suits handing out business cards, there were few. Instead, the long-running 420 Thailand festival’s second outing since the backdoor decriminalization of weed in June 2022 was abuzz with commerce across the JJ Mall rooftop, where business types mixed with stoners to roll blunts, toke vapes, and bubble bongs in every direction.
What a difference 13 months has made. Entrepreneurs who opened shops quickly enough in June 2022 to take a lead in the market have since scaled up dramatically.
“When we first opened in Soi 22, we were the fourth shop,” said Alex Li, general manager of Four Twenty. “Now there are over 2,000.”
That first shop in the Manfarang restaurant of owner Arthur Dubois launched with 10 mostly indica-dominant hybrid strains such as Girl Scout Cookies and Gorilla Glue for THB420 per gram. Today, they have five locations in Bangkok including a rooftop hangout called High Garden and a dispensary on Phuket.
While those thousands of additional competitors meant an end to the original sugar high profits, being among the first helped secure a stable business.
“The first two months were incredible,” Dubois said. “People really wanted to discover weed, they were flying in for it.”
At 420 Thailand, Four Twenty and longtime Thai brands such as Bong Party were located inside an air-conditioned hall along with other early entrants such as Taratera near the stage where hip-hop icon Joey Boy played. Also in the coveted indoor spots were corporate and premium brands such as Panthera Group’s OG, and the Los Angeles-based OCB of rolling paper fame.
Outside, under the Saturday’s sun or Sunday’s occasional rain, independent spirits jostled for attention. The joint was jumping – with joints. One could hardly exhale before a passer-by, acquaintance, vendor, or costumed mascot bounded up with yet another bong to rip, volcano to erupt, or physics-defying joint to light.
While a glimpse inside at the professional booths and expensive displays could have been mistaken for anywhere in the world, the outside had unmistakable Thai vibes. There were booths representing farmers, such as the Pan Buriram people, who were promoting their strains and the next outing of their regional weed festival, which was canceled last year under a cloud of legal concerns. Across the rooftop in the outdoor food zone, stalls sold burgers, mu ping, and other meats-on-stick with none of the vegan or gluten-free trappings of the Bangkok bourgeoisie.
On both days, the vendors sat in rows of small booths hawking seeds, pipes, bongs, kratom, tarot card readings, grinders, snacks, drinks, and, of course, lots and lots of weed strains.
Outside, vendors speak sincerely about community-building and finding success through innovation and brand loyalty. Inside, talk focuses on building efficiencies through multi-faceted distribution networks and partnerships.
That arrangement – big players inside in comfort and small shops battling the elements – underscored the state of the industry today. The very design of the event resembled an industry wonk’s sectoral layout.
Will one side prevail? Or is there room for both the corporate empire-builders and mom-and-pop purveyors?
On the sidelines of one of many workshops held in an adjacent room, longtime Highlander Arun Avery said that while there could be points of friction in the future, the corpo and indie sides both have something to offer.
The air-conditioned capitalist class are essential to further scale up the industry, while the motley array of small merchants and entrepreneurs generate innovation and community.
“I’m sure there will be some points of conflict, but both sides believe in what they’re doing,” said Four Twenty’s Dubois.
Tarin Chiarakul of the Ministry of High in Soi Sukhumvit 49 also works with Bootleggers Trading Co. He likened the industry today to the slow but steady flourishing of the independent alcohol business despite corporate dominance and unfavorable regulations.
“I think what sells now is what you are going to give back to the community,” said. “If people find something they like about you, the more they’re going to like what you do, and the more they’re going to come to you.”
While 420 Thailand may seem a misnomer to the pedants today, the festival’s first six outings were held on or around the international stoner day of April 20. It was delayed to June last year to be a celebration of legal weed. That it was a rainy and muddy mess was forgiven by everyone elated by the sudden new reality of smoking openly.
