[Interview] Royal Queen Seeds opens a cannabis store in Bangkok

This interview was conducted with Shai Ramsahai, a member of the management team at Royal Queen Seeds (RQS) who oversaw the successful opening of a store in Bangkok. You can find him at LinkedIn.
 
Hello, RQS. After establishing yourselves as one of Europe’s leading players over the past few decades, you opened a store in Bangkok following the decriminalization of cannabis in Thailand. How were you able to open a store so quickly?

At RQS, we closely monitor news about cannabis and potential legislative reforms. When we learned Thailand's historic decision, we acted very quickly to become the first European company to open a very large brand-name store there.

Fortunately, we have a good friend who lived in Bangkok for 20 years. He and his wife, who is a lawyer, have helped us and are now our official partners in Thailand.

Without them, we wouldn't have been able to open a store in Thailand so quickly.

I was there myself for the opening, which was an incredible event. We never dared to hope it would be such a success!

Opening of the RQS Store in Bangkok

Were you already involved in the medical field there?

No, we have good relations with that community, but we weren't involved in it.

What products do you sell in your store? Do you work with local producers?

For now, we sell Royal Queen Seeds, cannabis flowers, and related products in our store. Eventually, we will also sell growing equipment.

We are currently working with local growers. By the end of the year, we will also be selling grow tents on the top floor of our store. And a glass walkway will run through our grow tent so that everyone can see what we’re growing and how we’re growing it.

The RQS Store in Thailand

What varieties do you sell? Are there many landrace varieties or landrace hybrids?

We sell our full line of cannabis seeds from Royal Queen Seeds. We've noticed that strains from the U.S. are quite popular right now. We're also considering introducing Thai strains to the market, but that will take some time.

Royal Queen Seeds Strains in Thailand

It seems that the regulatory landscape is still a bit unclear. Private use at home is decriminalized, and the sale of cannabis cannot be penalized. Is that correct?

That's a very difficult question to answer. The law changes very quickly. If I answer this question today, it's possible that by the time it's published, the answer will be different.

Thailand has fully legalized cannabis and is currently drafting the necessary legislation. We will closely monitor developments.

Do you think regulations regarding recreational production and distribution will be enacted soon?

I think the regulations will be improved in the near future. Since all of this is very new and still in its early stages, there will likely be a few changes during the initial phases of the new regulations, etc.

Is it possible that sales could be banned?

Anything is still possible today. Personally, I think the chances of a ban on cannabis sales are slim. However, they are currently passing stricter laws on cannabis sales.

You can find cannabis on every street corner right now. But that’s expected to change within a year, and you’ll only be able to buy cannabis at licensed «coffeeshops.».

We've already seen some Malaysian ministers visit a farm medical cannabis in Thailand. Do you think Thailand will inspire other Asian countries to legalize it?

We expect more Asian countries to follow suit. I don't want to say too much, but we are in talks with several players in Asia.