In a bustling beach town on the west coast of Thailand, Grandma Jazz draws an eclectic clientele through coffee, cannabis, community, and conservation.
On any given afternoon at Grandma Jazz in Phuket, Thailand, the upstairs cafe might be filled with people drinking coffee and munching on homemade sweets. The piano in the middle of the café could sit quiet for a while then draw everyone’s attention when a patron sits down to play. And downstairs, another crop of customers is probably partaking in cannabis, working on their laptops, and playing board games.
Yes, Grandma Jazz functions as a legal dispensary, but it’s so much more than that. This unique spot is welcoming, comfortable, and familiar in a way that goes beyond the stoner stereotype. “Unlike other dispensaries, it’s like grandma’s house in here,” says AC Correya, who co-owns the business with his wife, Joy Vonglek. In fact, grandparents need only show photos of their grandkids, and they get free cake and tea for life!
In this article:
☕ How it all began
☕ Cannabis that’s local and legal
☕ Culture and community
☕ Just say no to plastic
☕ Cannabis in Thailand
☕ What the State Department wants you to know about Thailand
☕ Grandma Jazz details at a glance
How It All Began
AC and Joy didn’t move to Phuket with the intention of opening a cafe. In fact, AC, who hails from southwest England, originally came to Bangkok in 2016 to teach kindergarten physical education. There, he met Joy, who hailed from Prachinburi, Thailand, a rice-growing region west of Bangkok. The pair were living in the city when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“The pandemic made city life much less appealing,” says AC. “I’d heard that in Phuket you could be outside in the fresh air at the beach with no masks.” That was all they needed to know; AC and Joy moved to Phuket, a traveler-friendly beach town on Thailand’s west coast. They worked remotely, and in their off hours, they’d head to the beach and explore the area’s cannabis shops.
Like most tourist towns at that time, Phuket wasn’t its usual hub of excitement. Catering to the handful of travelers that were coming through, the area experienced an influx of expensive dispensaries that emphasized upselling. “The community was doing cannabis a disservice by treating it as a tourist cash cow,” AC recalls. “Dispensaries didn’t know what they were selling, and people were uninformed and unsafe. I thought, now’s our time to do it a different way.”
Together, AC and Joy created a multifaceted destination for coffee, cannabis, conversation, entertainment, and community vibes. Grandma Jazz is meant to feel just as inviting to someone with years of cannabis experience as it does to a visitor who had never set foot in a dispensary—and it does. Customers regularly stop in just to grab a coffee and play a board game with a friend, no cannabis involved.
Cannabis That’s Local and Legal
In Thailand, cannabis is legal for medicinal use only, and while Phuket is rife with illicit cannabis shops, Grandma Jazz is a licensed dispensary that completely complies with all of the rules. “We are fully legal, with an official sticker on the door,” AC explains. The medical system is digital, and patrons apply for approval and receive a quick response right on site.
On the cannabis menu, AC and Joy offer roughly 10 strains at a time, all from Thai-owned farms. “When I travel, I appreciate if someone has made those checks,” AC says. They know the growers and value being able to share the stories behind the flower with their guests. In turn, consumers feel more connected to the product their smoking.
Culture and Community
The clientele at Grandma Jazz is typically a mix of locals and travelers, and since tourists tend to stay a while in Phuket, strangers quickly become friends. At the center of the stylish checkered floor on the main level, an upright piano is open to anyone who wants to tickle the ivories. “People knock on our door and want to play music,” AC shares. He fondly remembers one guest, Nick from Moscow, who improvised an hour-long set every Saturday at 4:20 p.m. “It changed everyone’s lives over here,” he says. “He’d go through all different genres, and it gave everyone goosebumps.” (Nick is now on tour playing in front of crowds of thousands all over the world.)
Downstairs serves as a combination of a cozy lounge, impromptu co-working space, and all-around hangout. There are games for people who want to stay awhile, and every Saturday night, regulars and new customers gather together to play trivia. Check the online schedule to see what events are happening when you’re in town.
Just Say No…to Plastic
Before opening Grandma Jazz, AC and Joy were distressed at how quickly the tiny plastic bags piled up from their cannabis purchases. They’d smoke the gram or so that each bag contained, yet the packaging remained long after their flower was gone. In a place where the beaches are one of the greatest assets, they couldn’t ignore the issue of waste.
“I remember thinking, ‘If we ever open a dispensary, we’re never going to pollute our own beaches,’” AC shares. Grandma Jazz uses absolutely no single-use plastics in its operation. Cannabis comes in reusable packaging, including metal tins and bamboo joint holders. Yes, these materials are more expensive in the short term, but they can be reused forever.
AC and Joy also started an initiative called GreenFlow to encourage more dispensaries to move away from disposable plastic; together the group sources larger quantities of materials than they could alone, thus getting more competitive pricing. Their clothing project, Garments, gives new life to old pieces, and 25% of each sale goes to a local nonprofit that supports Phuket’s elderly population.
Cannabis in Thailand
Be aware: Thailand’s plethora of visible cannabis shops can give travelers an outdated impression of the law. The plant was removed from the country’s narcotics list in 2022, but in June 2025, cannabis flower was re-classified as a controlled substance under tighter rules. Here is what tourists need to know:
- A Thai prescription is required for cannabis flower. Tourists may not use, buy, carry, or transport flower without a valid prescription issued in Thailand by an authorized medical professional.
- An open shop does not make a walk-in sale legal. Shops selling flower to walk-in customers may be operating outside the law. Look for documentation on the door verifying the store’s status, and do not assume a product is legal just because it is on display.
- Do not bring cannabis across the border. Penalties for importing or exporting cannabis can include fines, imprisonment, deportation, and a ban on returning to Thailand.
Rules change quickly, and product categories can have different requirements. Check the Thai Tourism Authority’s cannabis notice as your trip approaches.
What the State Department Wants You to Know About Thailand
As of the last update to this article (October 2026), the U.S. State Department’s rates Thailand’s safety alert severity as Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions. However, it calls for increased caution near the Cambodian border and in the southernmost provinces because of unrest. Those areas aren’t near Phuket, but we highly advise you to review any available advisories before traveling.
U.S. travelers going to Thailand should also know:
- Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date. Most U.S. citizens do not need a visa for stays under 60 days, but online pre-arrival registration is required.
- Keep a physical and/or digital copy of your passport identification page and current Thai entry documentation with you.
- Respect local laws and customs, including rules concerning temples and comments about the Thai royal family.
- Consider travel insurance, and enroll in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for embassy alerts.
- For an emergency in Thailand, the Tourist Police number is 1155; emergency medical services can be reached at 1669.
Grandma Jazz Details at a Glance
Grandma Jazz
📍 13/20 Moo 6, Kamala, Kathu, Phuket 83150, Thailand
🔗 grandmajazz.com
⏰ Typically open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days a week in high season, five days a week in low season. Check the current schedule before you head over.
♿ The front door is wheelchair accessible, but the stairs inside are not.
Have you experienced the cannabis scene in Phuket? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
