Bangkok is about to get its first cannabis-themed cafe.
Highland, the team of legalization advocates who stage the annual 420 event, will open its Highland Cafe up in Lat Phrao on Thursday.
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“We want to build a community of cannabis enthusiasts where people can come to have discussions, share their ideas and meet like-minded people,” Chokwan Kitty Chopaka of Highland Network told Coconuts Bangkok this afternoon.
The cafe will serve drinks, sweets and smoothies as well as marijuana-themed products, books and magazines. Will it go a step beyond “themed” with actual cannabis? Kitty says no.
“We will be a cannabis cafe with no actual cannabis sold because it is still illegal. We won’t allow anything illegal to take place in our establishment,” she said, dutifully, adding that they’d like to turn it into a dispensary if/when that becomes legal. “I think we’re still a long way away from that.”
Although the medical marijuana law passed late last year freed patients and doctors to pursue cannabis treatments, distribution and sale will still be kept to formal medical facilities such as hospitals. The law did include clauses leaving space for future expansion to the private sector, however.
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During the day, the cafe will be a co-working space where people can hang out and work. At night, Kitty hopes it will become a meeting ground for fellow pot passionates to convene.
“The vibe will attract the tribe,” said Arun Avery via messenger, Highland’s [medical adviser].
There will also be activities and workshops on topics such as growing marijuana, budgeting for cultivation and turning profits in the weed industry.
Kitty said she wants the cafe’s focus to be broader than medical marijuana, to educate people on its other benefits such as enhancing creativity, for example.
“All the information we provide will be accurate, truthful and factual. There will be no fake news,” the activist said, referencing the misinformation swirling through domestic media.
While the team has yet to announce as grand opening, Highland Cafe’s soft opening on Thursday is expected to kick off around 5pm or 6pm.
Kitty invites all cannabis individual to check out the cafe but bear in mind the menu may not be complete yet, as dishes are still being developed to fit the theme.
FIND IT
12/7 Lat Phrao Rd, จอมพล, จตุจักร
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10900
Tel: 096-263-9451
