It is in your food. It’s in your body. It’s in almost everything you live with, and everything you interact with, and well, it’s just not healthy. Plastic. It’s the thing that’s become so ubiquitous that most people don’t even think about it, even though it’s estimated that we are ingesting about 250 grams of it, or roughly the equivalent of an apple every year.
When you start to think about how much plastic controls our lives, it’s kind of mind-boggling. Can you even think of a business that operates without contributing to the plastic epidemic? How about one that’s mission is to help reduce, reuse, and eliminate the use of plastic as a whole? They would be a first in the cannabis industry.
“I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night handing out plastic bags and then seeing them on the beach.” – Ashley Curtis, founder of Grandma Jazz
A Road Mapped With Intention
Grandma Jazz is not your average dispensary. With a funny name that evokes memories of family and good times, it’s a unique location and vision for what the future of the cannabis industry, and we as humans, can do. Nestled in the rolling mountains of Kamala in Phuket, Thailand, a location as beautiful as it is magical, sits this destination of a dispensary cafe. While the incredible views are something to behold, and the flowing jazz or piano soothes the soul, a lot more is hiding under the surface of this classy and quaint establishment.
Ashley Curtis, or AC as he is more commonly known, had a vision. Hailing from the UK, AC was someone who came up cutting his teeth in theatre and television. After graduating from drama school, the real journey began, getting into television and commercial work. He went to audition after audition; however, after a time, some of the magic was lost. From there he bounced around a bit, dabbling in education and as a house manager for some high-end international families.
Landing in a high-end cigar shop at the five-star Bulgari Hotel in London wasn’t something AC had expected. It was at this high-end establishment that the seeds of a new beginning began being sown. The marriage of class and service, carried out in every interaction, a key element he would implement in the future. However, this type of interaction wasn’t something he felt should be afforded only to the rich and affluent.
“I never really felt like I belonged growing up. It wasn’t until I met people from everywhere that I felt at home.” – AC
By the time he was 30, the situation in London had run its course and there was room for new beginnings opening up in his life. Moving to Thailand after having visited prior with family was both alluring and exciting, and with his background, he was able to secure a position teaching at the prominent American School of Bangkok.
Working as a teacher for nearly three years, he developed their first drama program, and working with the kids helped foster cultural and language exchange. It was quite the change of pace going from getting headshots and modeling photos to being the uncle and role model for the students in his classes, and much more rewarding.
When COVID hit, things changed for everyone. During this time, AC and his new girlfriend, Joy, found themselves looking to change things up. They landed in beautiful Phuket, Thailand’s largest island, on the Andaman Sea. Known for its beautiful beaches and laid-back lifestyle, there is a distinct vibe to the island that’s a bit bohemian and Western mixed with historical Thai. It was while they were living here and visiting rasta bars that the full decriminalization in Thailand occurred, and their eyes were opened to a new possibility.
The Birth of Grandma Jazz
Joy had already started a company selling vegan energy snacks, each named after a Bob Marley song. The business was doing well, but it was arduous. Using the 20 years of experience AC had with the plant, along with the connections they had made while visiting all the first shops that had already opened, a decision was made to put it all on the line, and invest in the unknown at the time. But the decision to open a weed shop wasn’t when Grandma Jazz was born; instead, that journey took a bit longer to unfold.
“People don’t just come here to buy something. They come here to feel something.” – AC
Finding the Right Space
Finding flowers to sell was the easy part, but they had a vision in mind for the location. With a virtually nonexistent budget, location scouting was difficult, and the idea of custom builds went out the window. While initially going to look at another location, they came across a beautiful building, completely different from everything around it. The building was unique amongst the other establishments in Kamala, the area of Phuket they would eventually call home. So without hesitation, they dialed the number on the rental sign outside and, without knowing it, the last piece of the Grandma Jazz puzzle had slipped into place.
Auntie Addy owned the building and many more throughout the area. Dubbed the Queen of Kamala, she and her vast real estate and business enterprises help support a large number of families in the region. When AC and Joy rang about renting the building her daughter had built, an architectural student, there was some hesitation. While she had always wanted this location to become a cafe, her understanding of dispensaries was limited. Adding to that, those that were currently in business operated completely differently from the vision that would become Grandma Jazz.
After some savvy back-and-forth between the two parties, a deal was struck. The opportunities with Addy continued with her offering to let AC and team use some of her extensive collection of furniture to inhabit the space. With a worldly collection, some vintage pieces felt more at home in this atmosphere. This repurposing and reuse of items is inherently part of the DNA of the Grandma Jazz brand as well, and it shows up throughout everything they touch. During this frenzy of getting everything ready, a pivotal decision was made.
Going Plastic-Free
“Going plastic-free isn’t hard. You just stop using plastic,” AC told me, with such simplicity.
A simple statement with a profound meaning, and it didn’t come out of nowhere. AC and Joy had been doing their market research and visiting all the local shops that had opened up since decriminalization. Finding both good and bad flowers, positive and negative service, and things they knew they could improve upon.
But it was the amount of plastic bags they had accumulated that really stood out to them. What were they going to do with all this waste, while living on an island? It didn’t make sense, and without wanting to help contribute to the problem, the solution was simple. Don’t use plastic.
While it doesn’t make sense from a conversationist’s standpoint, the decision to use plastic is much easier when you think about the cost. Everything is cheaper if it’s plastic, and if the bottom line is the most important, you can bet the plastic will be omnipresent. Not so for Grandma Jazz, who doesn’t use baggies or plastic bags at all.
Bulk flower is held tightly in air and humidity-controlled glass jars. Coffees and teas are served in a ceramic mug, with a metal spoon for stirring. The flower comes neatly tucked into a metal tin with a message from Grandma directly to you.
When visiting and speaking with the team, you realize that what they have created and what they are doing is about giving back to the community that has embraced them. Most shops are stocked with all the sodas and snacks you would find in most convenience stores, but instead, here you have a selection of locally crafted sodas bottled on the island, along with in-house-made gelato. When designing the exterior, the sign maker advised AC that since it’s a marijuana dispensary, the sign should be covered in leaves and paraphernalia to make it more obvious. That wasn’t the direction he and Joy wanted to go, however, and simply told him to put three words on the sign. Support. Local. Weed.
“Grandma Jazz doesn’t explain itself. Curiosity does the work.” – AC
Curiosity Over Explanation
I met AC during a conference held in Old Town, Phuket, at The Dispensary by Taratera. He was there as a representative of local dispensary owners, and I was a representative of the foreign tourist market. It was over two years ago to this day when we assembled to discuss the future of cannabis in Thailand and what we thought might happen with regulations.
We found common ground on the belief that, while almost backwards in Western thinking, the country would move from recreational to medical. Fast forward to the current time, and that is exactly what happened, and with foresight in mind, Grandma Jazz was able to stay open and operational during the transitional process. Now, with new regulations like seed-to-sale tracking in place, the concept of buying local is now more important than ever.
Scaling the Idea
With more than two years of being plastic-free, many questions have been answered about how this type of operation can succeed. Using the tools and practices they built, the team at Grandma Jazz collaborated with the Phuket Cannabis Association to help launch the GreenFlow Movement. This voluntary program offers guidelines and helps to set a standard for reducing single-use plastic waste.
While currently only offered in Thailand, I believe these types of ideas, including discounts for reusing or recycling waste, could be beneficial worldwide. Especially here in the USA, where in 2020 it was estimated that the cannabis industry generated one billion pieces of single-use plastic waste.
“This place should exist in more places. Everyone should have access to something like this.” When AC says it, it just makes sense. When you think about it….it just makes sense.
One of the most convenient and easy ways to smoke doesn’t even come in a bag. Instead, pre-rolls come almost definitely packaged in a plastic tube. These tubes, which contribute significantly to the overall single-time use of plastics in cannabis, are literally everywhere. A problem without a solution, or is it? AC and Joy took the issue to task, and with the help of Joy’s uncle, they were able to craft something quite remarkable. The bamboo joint tube is nearly indestructible, natural, sustainable, and stylish, and it also provides jobs and opportunities for a small group of craftspeople.
After releasing these into the world, stories started to flow back to Grandma Jazz about losing their joint on a mountain or during some activity, only to find it again later and everything still be perfect and smokeable.
More Than a Dispensary
That ethos of buy local and reuse when possible carries over to the clothing and merchandise they carry as well, with locally sourced shirts and hats that are understated, featuring only the brand name and a slogan on the back. Going beyond just brand merch for the shop, AC and Joy launched Garments.
This upcycling clothing brand takes unique retro pieces and gives them new life, new tags, and donates to a charity that helps older folks in the area. It is through this opportunity that Grandma Jazz can give back to the other grandparents in the area.
“It’s like a grandma writing you a note. Small, but it stays with you.” – AC
What We Can Take Away
When you first enter, it’s a bit magical. With cool jazz playing over the speakers, or possibly a savant on the piano riffing something new and funky, the sound sets your body at ease. Taking from his time at the cigar shop, the level of class and elegance is unmatched, especially for a dispensary. After making your selection from the local flower on offer, it is packaged up nicely in a tin, with a special message direct from Grandma to you. When sitting down to smoke, feel free to grab a hat off the wall and embrace the ambiance. Take a stroll to the back patio with a view that’s as breathtaking as the quality of buds on offer.
After the joints have been smoked and the mist is settling over the mountains in Kamala, Phuket, there is definitely something to take away. How is it that a dispensary on the other side of the world is breaking all the rules, not using plastic, only supporting local business, giving back to charity, and by all measurable metrics making an actual difference?
What can we learn and take away from this to implement both here in the United States and also for other shops around the world? It goes back to one of the things AC said to me; It’s not about shouting at people, it’s about speaking to them. And everyone listens to their Grandma.
This article is from an external, unpaid contributor. It does not represent High Times’ reporting and has not been edited for content or accuracy.
All photos courtesy of Joshua Freeman.
