The three-day weed-friendly festival, Pan Buriram, was slated to return for a second year from Nov 25 to 27 at Chang International Circuit, Buriram, but ongoing legal uncertainty about weed production has caused organizers to postpone the event.  

With headliners like the young, Thai, mango sticky rice-lover Milli, pioneer rapper Joeyboy, Isaan-soul singer Rasamee, and many more, Pan Buriram was a highlight on the concert calendar. Last month’s decision to withdraw the Cannabis Act, however, has ruffled festival feathers.

“It just doesn’t feel right,” Pan Buriram founder Chidchanok “Nan” Chidchob, told Coconuts Bangkok. “I dont think it’s possible for the vendors, or the growers, or [to hold a growing] competition.”

This being Thailand’s weed heartland, local growers would have had the chance to submit their finest flowers into a competition to win up to B1 million, but the festival is now postponed indefinitely. 

The striking down of the Cannabis Act came as a shock to those who saw it as a compromise to regulate production, sales, and licensing, without affecting use, but the withdrawal has led to speculation on more severe legal consequences, with some concerned it is a path to recriminalization.  

Nan told Coconuts Bangkok that the festival will happen when there is more clarity about weed cultivation.