Location and Shop
Sweedlove is a cute little cannabis oasis amidst the ugly sprawl of office buildings off Ratchadaphisek Road in Ding Dang. The shop is a quick 3-5 minute walk from the Suttisan MRT station.
The dispensary is a site for sore eyes. Ding Dang is ugly, dominated by ancient, nondescript high rises and highly trafficked thoroughfares. Sweedlove, in contrast, is a tiny, simple, elegant, and attractive shop. Its glass walls give it an open feeling allowing light in but keeping the noise and pollution out. The neighborhood is hectic and unpleasant; but the dispensary is calm, cool, and chill.
The minimalistic dispensary has one wooden bar in the corner of the shop with twelve strains of cannabis displayed next to rolling papers. The cannabis is high end with much of it sourced from Amber Farms in Thailand. The shop is currently exploring sourcing from additional farms.
Sweedlove mainly serves office workers in the vicinity who are lucky enough to pick up cannabis during their breaks to smoke at home. Though, if they choose to smoke while at the office, the pages of this publication will not judge them.
Three Brothers
Sweedlove is the passion project of Khun Emm, the eldest son of the family which runs and owns Thong Kee Restaurant, the famous Chinese eatery near Asoke. Khun Emm enlisted his two younger brothers to help him run the dispensary. The three brothers had all been involved in other businesses and ventures prior to legalization, inclusive of restaurants and medical services. Upon weed’s emancipation, the brothers followed their passions and natural entrepreneurial instincts and opened the shop.
In Khun Emm’s own words: “My inspiration is simply that I love to smoke. I want other people to also understand and feel this same love. I want to teach them and show them that there is good and high quality weed available. They don’t have to smoke brick.”
“Growing up all we had was brick. It was horrible. When I finally tried high quality weed, it blew my mind. The high was better, deeper. There was no bitter after taste. After legalization, I wanted to make sure I would be able to help other people get this experience. That I could help point them in the right direction and get high quality cannabis—at prices they can afford.”
“We currently are serving the office crowd around here. But we will expand to a second shop near our family business in Asoke with the same philosophy: high quality cannabis at a low cost.”
A New Era
Khun Emm and his brothers came to know and love cannabis in a time when it was forbidden and taboo. “There was so much propaganda against cannabis. People were closed minded and wouldn’t talk about it or even consider it. There was a mass brain washing of people.”
“But now we are seeing a change. Those who would not consider cannabis beforehand, perhaps they are not open to using it, but they are open to accepting it as a legitimate form of business. Now that it is legalized, it is accepted to discuss it, to do business in it, but we still need a lot of education to correct all the old propaganda against cannabis.”
“Miseducation is something which we deal with on a daily basis. People come into our shop and do not know how to use cannabis. We explain the different effects of strains, the different strengths, how much to smoke. We discourage people from using edibles because they are harder to control and predict. Unexperienced users will take edibles and become impatient waiting for the high, which can take two hours to take effect. They end up consuming more—when the high finally hits it is too intense and they panic, often going to the hospital. This is not good.”
“We find that people do not understand that cannabis is something which can be used with the user in full control. The user can control cannabis; cannabis does not control the user. It is not like alcohol—it doesn’t drain the user.”
“We urge anyone who has an open mind about cannabis to come to our shop. We will explain everything to our customers. We will guide them on safe use. Do not be scared to come and ask for information. We love cannabis and we want everyone to have a safe and positive experience. Let us guide you.”
Conclusion
Sweedlove is cute, charming and refreshing. It is simple, neat, and easy to navigate. The owner and his brothers are passionate, helpful, friendly, and welcoming. Ding Dang is an odd location—and is far from sexy—(I suppose the right strain of cannabis can make anything sexier). But, people in Ding Dang deserve high quality cannabis and they are lucky to have Sweedlove so conveniently located to them.
Sweedlove is in some ways a very ordinary shop. It is customer oriented, efficient, and friendly. It is clean and high quality. It is the perfect shop to add to your everyday office routine, such as buying a cup of coffee. Perhaps this is what we need more of in Thailand: Everyday, normal dispensaries to add to our routines—as simple and mindless as picking up a cup of coffee.
We at HighThailand are happy to see the normalization of cannabis dispensaries and believe that it is necessary for sustainability. However, we also believe that the existing passion and personality behind the industry must remain. Without love, ethics, and community, cannabis is doomed to be like any other industry—or worse: illegal once more. Sweedlove is a good example of an ordinary shop with a passionate owner who can take care of customers and maintain the industry.
