A Singaporean woman on vacation in Thailand mistook cannabis for vegetables in a bowl of Thai noodle soup.

The tourist, identified as Sueanne, was on vacation in Chiang Rai, Thailand, with her mother-in-law and her husband and their two young children. She reportedly enjoyed a restaurant’s Thai soup dish so much that she ordered the soup twice.

According to reports, Sueanne began to feel nauseous later that night. Upon returning to the restaurant the next morning, she realized that she had mistaken cannabis leaves for kangkung, or water spinach.

“I took a closer look at the menu then and saw a small cannabis leaf image next to the picture of the dish,” Sueanne told The Strait Times. “We were quite shocked. We have seen cannabis in sweets and drinks at specialized shops, but we never thought it would appear in such an ordinary dish.”

“If I had noticed the logo, or if the waiter had told me, I would not have ordered it,” she added. “It was boiled in the soup like a normal vegetable and looked just like kangkung.”

Sueanne noted that she was glad her children did not have the soup.

Cannabis products and dishes have become increasingly common in Thailand after Thailand legalized the cultivation of marijuana and hemp for “medical purposes, economic benefits and for people to have a choice in taking care of their own health” in 2018.

In February 2021, Thailand also allowed cannabis to be used in food and drinks if the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is less than 0.2 percent.

With this law in place, Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau has since reminded its citizens that consuming drugs while overseas is still a punishable offense. However, involuntary consumption of drugs is not.

Featured Image via Eric (CC BY SA 4.0)/ Roberto Valdivia