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Our community has reached the end of yet another year in our journey from legalization to whatever the future has in store for us. The greatest, and perhaps only true achievement of 2025 is the survival of the community. Survival not without casualties.
The previous government, which crumbled under the weight of its own silliness and inexperience, waged aggressive actions against the community with dubious decrees on prescriptions, growing standards and requirements for farms and dispensaries, and open threats to both the industry and the economy cannabis supports. With added pressure on farms and dispensaries, consumers were still largely untouched as the laws and regulation placed all burdens on farms and shops—though this did not stop the press and hysterical commentators from their usual clickbait tendencies (and some overly eager and particularly hungry law enforcers from using fear to their own personal advantage).
But regardless of legitimacy, clarity or logic, the community was affected. Large commercial farms adjusted, where and if at all necessary, and cemented their focus on exports scaling back their engagement with the more traditional and legacy culture in Thailand. Some craft growers adopted GACP and did what they needed to do to get certified. Others opted to wait it out or go further underground while continuing their craft. And sadly, some very good growers (and no doubt some very bad growers) decided it just wasn’t worth the headache and shut down.
The tone of the culture and community was affected as well. Growers took a step back from being the face of the community and instead individuals, some acting with good intentions and some acting as the puppets of more sinister economic interests, jumped on the bandwagon. A handful worked to promote knowledge and spread their own experience satisfying the demand of some well intentioned local officials to provide an actual workable cannabis growing, economic and consuming framework despite the challenges of ignorance coming from the top. Others, carpetbaggers and infamous “lobbyists” who long dreamed of concentrating cannabis economic power, did what they could to feed the flames of misinformation with the intent of exploiting the fruits of confusion and a public desperate for certainty. Medical cards, online prescriptions, workarounds, claims to be commissioned by governmental bodies, all popped up and were espoused by those always looking for that easy dollar. Everyone “knew a guy” with a definite answer on what was next and how to profit from it. And everyone was full of shit.
Those of us who love the flower, love the craft, and love the community became more introspective. Started spending time with smaller groups of cannabis enthusiasts and retreated a bit, away from the limelight, celebrating the herb in more intimate but still public settings. Relying on the ties and connections built over the last three years since legalization with less focus on developing and forging new ties.
We at HighThailand began editing videos from UpperCut, our 2024 clone competition and cannabis journey through Thailand. The videos were initially intended for YouTube, and will eventually be reedited for that medium. But for now you can find most of them up on Instagram. What is clear from the videos is that while 2024 had some uncertainty and crazy political turns, it was still a time of excitement, positivity, creativity, art and growth. 2025 was all about survival—and congrats to all of us who are still around atyear’s end. But the truth is we were never going anywhere. Every generation has its tokers. It’s just a matter of whether they are celebrated out in the open or pushed into the shadows. In 2026 we will launch UpperCut 2 with the intention of raising and celebrating our people out of the shadows, building, creating and enjoying each other. Join us and bring back the spirit of our community.
Happy New Year to all and stay tuned for tomorrow’s best of 2025 list.
