THE SMUGGLER SURFERS ERA: HIGH TIDES And HIGHER PROFITS (1960S–1970S)

peak market share:

by the early 1970s, thai sticks accounted for up to 80% of the imported cannabis market in the u.s., making it the top-tier exotic weed of its time.

smuggling routes: 

smugglers moved tons of thai sticks from northeast thailand to the u.s. via bali, hawaii, and mexico using boats, hidden surfboards, and even hollowed-out airplane panels.

mother ship operations:

 large fishing vessels carried 10,000+ lbs of weed, offloading it to smaller boats that landed on remote california beaches under the cover of night.

potency & pricing: 

thai sticks were known for their high thc content (12–15%)—far stronger than mexican brick weed (5–10%). wholesale prices jumped from $100/lb in the early ’70s to $500/lb by 1979 due to demand.

smuggler riches:

a 15,000-lb load of thai sticks could net millions in profit, funding endless summers and lavish lifestyles for surfing outlaws.

counterculture & the hippie trail: 

cons like the beatles and jimi hendrix epitomized the era’s rebellious spirit, while the hippie trail introduced smugglers to thai and afghan landraces—fueling a golden age of cannabis genetics that later birthed strains like og kush and haze.

law enforcement crackdown:

president nixon announces the war on drugs on june 17, 1971. by the late 1970s, the dea targeted thai stick smugglers, leading to major busts, pirate attacks in international waters, and the decline of large-scale imports.

end of an era:

by the early 1980s, thai stick imports fell sharply while colombian, panamanian, and jamaican weed distribution ramped up—cartels replacing eastern imports with flower now mostly coming through the florida/caribbean corridor.

legacy:

the smuggler surfers remain icons in both cannabis and surf culture. their legacy of thai and afghan genetics shaped the modern cannabis industry, proving the hustle never stops—it just evolves.

presented by nuggnotes

sources:

• Maguire, Peter, and Mike Ritter. Thai Stick: Surfers, Scammers, and the Untold Story of the Marijuana Trade. Columbia University Press, 2013. 

• Donelan, Charles. “The Untold Story of the Marijuana Trade: Surfers Turned Smugglers in Thailand and Santa Barbara.” The Santa Barbara Independent, 3 Apr. 2014. 

• Draft Dodger, and T. H. Caeczar. “The History of the Thai Stick.” High Times, 18 July 2017. 

• Maguire, Peter. “Interview with Peter Maguire, Author of Thai Stick: Surfers, Scammers, and the Untold Story of the Marijuana Trade.” Columbia University Press Blog, 21 Nov. 2013. 

• Downs, David. “Why Is Cannabis Now So Different from 1970s Cannabis?” Leafly, 25 Oct. 2013. 

• “History of OG Kush – The Origins of OG Kush.” Cali Terpenes, 2023. 

• “Fifty-Two Years of Fear & Failure: The War on Drugs.” ACLU of Arizona, 17 June 2023. 

• “Public Enemy Number One: A Pragmatic Approach to America’s Drug Problem.” Richard Nixon Foundation, 29 June 2016. 

• “Chocolate Thai Marijuana Strain Information & Reviews.” AllBud, accessed 30 June 2025.