Armed with an FDA Thailand approval for a microdose cookie, Baked Thailand is rolling out the country’s first FDA-approved, THC-infused cookies that are permitted to be sold on grocery store shelves, in bars, or in restaurants.
While Thailand’s cannabis industry grapples with imminent changes, Baked Thailand represents all that cannabis-infused edibles have to offer in a regulated, safe setting.
Baked Thailand cookies, containing a microdose of 1.6 g of THC.
The company uses small-batch ingredients, as well as organic cannabis leaves sourced from Maejo University in the Chiang Mai Province in Thailand, which is the oldest agricultural institution in the country. Each Baked Thailand cookies contains a microdose of 1.6 mg of THC—the maximum allowed dosage.
Baked Thailand founder Ornipa Levey, aka “Pupae,” started her journey with cannabis long before Thailand decriminalized cannabis for adult use.
“The government legalized the use of fan leaves in food and beverages around two years ago but nothing that entered the market was producing euphoric effects,” Levey says. “We decided to try making a more traditional edible product within the FDA’s guidelines.”
The company quickly adapted to stringent guidelines. Per FDA Thailand, Baked Thailand can only have up to 1.6 mg of THC per unit—in this case, one cookie.
“Our original idea was to have six units per box to give consumers up to 9.6 mg of THC, but the FDA here will not allow that,” she says. “They don’t want people thinking it’s OK to eat enough to get a macrodose at this point. The FDA also forbids us from putting our tagline ‘Treats You Can Trust’ and dosing chart on the box, too. This forced us to do away with the 6-pack for now and focus on individually packaged cookies.”
The process involved a few tweaks to packaging in order to become compliant.
“After many months of going back and forth, multiple rounds of testing our cookies, and being forced to make changes to our packaging, we finally have Thailand’s first FDA-approved cannabis cookies ready to take preorders and fully enter the market,” she says.
The Changing Cannabis Landscape in Thailand
Companies like Baked Thailand sit at the intersection of cannabis policy in the region: Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize medical cannabis in 2018, and recreational cannabis was decriminalized last year by removing cannabis from the country’s Category 5 list of controlled drugs. Adults can grow cannabis plants at home for personal use if they inform their local government. However, the winners of Thailand’s recent election threaten to reverse this recent policy on recreational cannabis.
Levey reflected on the stigma that continues to impact cannabis policy in her country, with tales of children getting a hold of edibles. Sound familiar? Old habits die hard.
“I’d say the biggest difference is the history surrounding cannabis in Thailand and how it has impacted legalization,” Levey says. “Up until recently, cannabis was categorized with heroin and we were taught it makes you crazy. I feel that these false ideas make Thai lawmakers more cautious with how they’re implementing regulations. We expect more regulations surrounding Thailand’s cannabis industry after the election but these are more likely to impact flower, growers, and dispensary operators.”
A series of growing regulations loom as Thailand irons out its new and controversial cannabis market. Edibles in the country must display a safe consumption recommendation and a noticeable warning message for pregnant and lactating women, children, those with allergies, and those sensitive to THC or CBD.
“Now that we have met the qualifications and received FDA approval, the only laws regulating our cookies are they cannot be sold to pregnant women and cannot be sold to anyone under 20 years of age,” Levey says. “They can be sold nearly anywhere in Thailand without a cannabis license though, and we’re excited to get them into cafes, bars, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, and other businesses.”
Levey and her husband Louis concocted the idea to develop a microdose cookie that meets FDA Thailand’s requirements. With a background in the government, Levey also operates an agency, Vera Visa, that helps foreigners navigate immigration and get short- and long-term visas in Thailand. This gave her an advantage because it familiarized herself with the ins and outs of correspondence with government officials.
The Birth of an Idea
Levey’s father-in-law had chronic pain that led her and her husband to develop cannabis-infused cookies during the opioid epidemic. Opioids were not even an option: The opioids didn’t work for her father-in-law because his platelets lacked opioid receptors, but the cookies helped where traditional medicine fell short.
Baked Thailand founders Ornipa and Louis Levey, as well as others, at the first event they … [+]
That’s part of the reason why the ingredients matter. “We’re currently sourcing organic cannabis leaves from Maejo University,” Levey says. “While we could get the leaves cheaper elsewhere, we decided to go with Maejo because it’s another name people can trust. Maejo was one of the first universities in Thailand to begin growing cannabis for the medical cannabis industry here. The leaves come from a Sativa-dominant hybrid the university developed.”
Each cookie contains up to 1.6mg of THC, designed for microdosing. “The vast majority of people here have never tried cannabis before and we wanted to give them a microdose option that allows them to learn how their bodies react to ingestible THC,” Levey says.
Baked Thailand cookies weigh 8 grams total each, making it easy to eat multiple cookies to achieve more euphoric effects. Baked Thailand cookies are legal and available to tourists. These cookies can be sold without a cannabis license and can be sold nearly anywhere, Levey says, and the only places that might not be allowed to sell them are schools, hospitals, and temples.
Baked Thailand packaging, after several regulations and revisions.
“We went with a traditional American-style chocolate chip cookie,” Levey says. “The flavor profile really works well with the hint of full-spectrum cannabis flavor. Our cookies are also coated in sugar to produce a nice crackling effect that makes the cookies unique.”
Currently, some shops sell Baked Thailand cookies in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, but they’re taking orders and shipping cookies throughout the Kingdom: Chiang Rai, Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Hua Hin, and other cities.
“We have a few more flavor profiles we’re developing, some will cater more to Thai tastes,” Levey says. “We also have some other products we’ll continue developing for the Thai market.”
Learn more about Baked Thailand on the website.
