Yasmin “Min” Pathan was setting up her dope jars on the counter when someone came through the door.
“What’s up, bro? How you feelin’ today?” Min said as they traded handshakes and big grins. “We just got new strains in. Check ‘em out.”
That’s that laid-back, friendly demeanor and extensive knowledge of cannabis that has made Min a familiar face, an online oracle in the outlaw days of weed now known to expat and Thai regulars alike at Sukhumweed, the now-world famous dispensary that opened the day it was decriminalized.
It was on Sukhumweed’s third day that Min joined as budtender – a diligent employee who arrives by 11am for her duties, which range from setting up displays and answering emails to her true passion, serving up the sticky icky to her loyal customers.
‘At first, I was afraid of getting arrested, so I didn’t show my face in videos at all.’
Yasmin “Min” Pathan
It’s after work that Min lights up and fires up a different audience, one she cultivated for several years before she legally dispensed buds. Online, she dispenses a kind of Weed 101, sharing tips and tricks on growing and consuming weed while dispelling common misconceptions and biases.
Before the de facto legalization of cannabis last year, when Min found her voice and passion through the internet, she had already become famous in the scene through her weed-centric media personality: Min D Green.
Min D Green: Weed explained
Min discovered her passion for weed while studying journalism at Walailuk University located in her southern hometown in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
When the CBD craze hit and Thailand began rolling out marijuana clinics, Min wrote her thesis on the medicinal benefits of marijuana. She researched the plant and produced three animations for local hospitals about its medicinal benefits, including its potential to alleviate pain, reduce seizures, and even fight cancer.
“All the information available was in English, and I had to translate into Thai myself. It was tough, but it’s also totally worth it,” she said.
After her thesis project left her with extensive knowledge about marijuana, Min decided to combine her media-savvy skills with newfound expertise. During an internship in Bangkok, she found her pastime and launched her weed-focused channel on both YouTube and Facebook.
“That’s how Min D Green was born,” she said. “At first, I was afraid of getting arrested, so I didn’t show my face in videos at all … But later, I thought to myself that I wasn’t promoting cannabis consumption, I was sharing facts about weed with the public. So I kept on producing the content.”
As Bangkok goes to pot, a new career blossoms: the budtender
With the formerly outlaw industry “in the dark” for so long, it didn’t take long for Min’s social pages to stand out and draw a following, particularly among regular consumers. Thousands now come to her channel to learn about potent weed strains, different ways to consume cannabis, and what to know when buying weed the first time.
Min has also shared tips and tricks for growing cannabis at home – from the best soil to the right pH level of water to use.
“I choose the topics based on questions people ask me on a daily basis,” Min said.
Through her informative and engaging cannabis-related video content, Min has established herself as a prominent figure in the online cannabis community. Her content has played a vital role in debunking the misconceptions and stereotypes that have long been associated with the plant.
Some of the most popular clips include Min on smoking vs. edibles, the symptoms of cannabis overdose, and a critique of brick weed.
“I was talking about brick weed, and its negative effects on consumers, and that sparked heated discussions among Thai stoners,” Min said. “Too bad the clip was later deleted because of YouTube’s restrictions.”
That’s the dance one plays with corporate content policies. But despite Min’s accounts being blocked or suspended several times, she said she was never discouraged from producing weed-related content.
“No matter what, I must post at least one clip per week,” she said.
Asked which WeedTubers Min is inspired by, she cited many channels based in North America but obsesses the most over Strain Hunters, a series of documentaries by Arjan Roskam, owner of Green House coffeeshops in Amsterdam, who travels to find rare or vulnerable breeds of bud across the world.
“I see them as my inspiration who keep me going. I admire them for their passion and dedication until they become successful like today,” Min said. “I want to be like them.”
Taking the higher road
Min is more than a talker and a hawker. Her passion and dedication extend beyond weed evangelism to actively advocating for local cannabis. In the past few years, prior to the backdoor legalization, Min has attended rallies and protests and called for more open-minded attitudes to marijuana in Thai society.
“One of the biggest issues for me is that most Thai people still do not understand weed. Many still believe that we smoke the leaves, not flowers, for example,” she said. “A lack of knowledge brings negative images to weed users as well, and I want to change that.”
Her ultimate goal is nothing short of transforming public perception of marijuana.
That ambition comes with a belief that the domestic cannabis industry can reach its full potential and grow as large as California and Amsterdam. But that can only happen with a healthier image as well as transparent and clear regulations.
There is no doubt that the immediate aftermath of June’s decriminalization was chaos due to confusing information, unclear rules, lax enforcement, and even the government’s own flip-flopping.
But despite that, the Thai industry took off and has, so far, pulled through. The combined market for medical marijuana and hemp in Thailand is expected to expand by about 15% annually through 2025 and be worth THB43 billion (US$1.2 billion) by next year, according to the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce.
“Observing numerous countries that have legalized weed, I believed that Thailand, with its strength in agriculture, had the potential to follow suit,” Min said. “To achieve this, we must project a positive image of the industry and emphasize its benefits, or else the Thai people will continue to hold onto the stigmatized belief that cannabis is a dangerous drug.”
Min and her colleagues have proposed a collaboration between dispensaries and health authorities as the best way to inform the public.
“I asked them why don’t we work together? Doctors have knowledge on medicine; we know best about the consumption,” Min said. “If we want to be in this industry for a long term, let’s collaborate and set up standards together.”
Min currently works as a budtender at Sukhumweed on Soi Sukhumvit 42 in Bangkok. Her channels can be found on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
