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Will 5-star cannabis cuisine in Thailand catch on? We try the ‘first’ fine-dining marijuana menu

  • The ‘Bong Appetit’ menu at Phuket’s The Slate resort served up a scrumptious array of seafood, meat and local produce with added CBD
  • Prospects for cannabis cuisine in Thailand remain unclear, says one chef, who questions demand and predicts stringent controls will remain on pot in food

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Chef Steven John prepares dishes flavoured with cannabis for a private dinner in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Empty Plates
Ron Gluckman

Dinner began just like any other multicourse gastronomic odyssey at a five-star hotel, with an assortment of adorable appetisers. These were followed by a menu of delicacies such as Phuket lobster and prawn linguine, elegantly presented in swirls of foam, sauces and sautés.

But then the epicurean express swerved off the tracks. Things got goofy, but exactly where is tough to pinpoint. My notes taper off after the second course.

Perhaps the marijuana cocktails should have served as a warning.

The arrival of pot-paired gastronomy is the latest treat in Thailand, which legalised marijuana in June 2022, allowing it to be smoked inside an individual’s residence and consumed in food at licensed restaurants.
Dispensaries selling cannabis have bloomed in Thailand since the drug was legalised. Photo: Ron Gluckman
Dispensaries selling cannabis have bloomed in Thailand since the drug was legalised. Photo: Ron Gluckman

A ganja gold rush swept the capital Bangkok even before restrictions officially ended on what had been considered a most dangerous drug, on par with heroin. Trucks rolled through one of the world’s street food meccas offering jars of buds and joints. Dispensaries bloomed and the scent of cannabis swept through side streets.

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