What a Legal Cannabis Clinic Must Have (2026)

A legal cannabis clinic in Thailand must have a DTAM-certified practitioner on site during every hour it is open, an odour and smoke elimination system, dedicated quality-controlled storage, a qualifying licence held by an eligible applicant, and monthly reporting to the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM). Cannabis may only be sold to patients holding a PT 33 prescription. These standards come from Ministerial Regulation No. 2 B.E. 2569, published in the Royal Gazette on 30 April 2026 and in force since January 2026.

This is the same regime that reshaped the market: of the 8,636 cannabis licences that expired during 2025, only about 1,339 — roughly 15.5% — were renewed. The difference between the shops that survived and those that closed was almost entirely their ability to meet the clinic standard set out below.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. The operating standards for cannabis clinics are set by ministerial regulation and administered by DTAM and the Thai FDA, and they change. Confirm current requirements with a qualified Thai adviser and the relevant authority before acting.

Staffing Requirements

The staffing rule is the single hardest requirement for a former dispensary to meet, and the one that closed the most shops.

Under Article 8/1(4), at least one DTAM-certified practitioner must be physically present on the premises throughout the entire time the establishment is open. This is not a “prescriber on call” arrangement — the certified staff member must be on site for every operating hour.

Who Qualifies as a Prescriber

Seven types of human practitioner may prescribe cannabis, and each must hold DTAM cannabis certification:

• Medical doctors
• Thai traditional-medicine practitioners
• Applied Thai traditional-medicine practitioners
• Traditional Chinese-medicine practitioners
• Pharmacists
• Dentists
• Licensed folk healers

Veterinarians are not part of this list; they may only work with animals under separate rules. There is no general provision for nurses to prescribe cannabis. For a fuller breakdown, see our guide to who can prescribe cannabis in Thailand.

Facility Requirements

The regulation sets physical standards for the premises themselves, aimed at odour control and product integrity.

Odour and Smoke Elimination

The clinic must have a system to eliminate odour and smoke — in practice, activated-carbon filtration or sealed extraction ventilation — and must keep documented maintenance records for it. The requirement is not only to install the system but to show it is maintained.

Product Storage

Cannabis must be held in dedicated storage that maintains product quality. That storage must be:

• Segregated from other stock and substances
• Elevated off the floor
• Protected from direct sunlight
• Temperature- and humidity-controlled
• Physically separated from other substances

Records and Dispensing

Once open, a clinic operates under continuous reporting and strict dispensing limits.

Monthly Reporting

Clinics must file monthly transaction and inventory reports to DTAM using three forms:

• Phor.Tor. 27 — source of cannabis product
• Phor.Tor. 28 — usage
• Phor.Tor. 29 — inventory

Dispensing Rules

• Cannabis may only be sold to patients holding a valid PT 33 prescription. See our PT 33 prescription guide for how that prescription works.
• A single dispense is capped at a 30-day supply.
• No advertising and no recreational sales are permitted.
• Cannabis flower must be sourced from farms certified under Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP).

Premises and Applicant Status

Two eligibility conditions sit behind the licence itself: rights to the premises, and the applicant’s existing licensed status.

Rights to the Premises

Under Article 8/1(1), the applicant must hold ownership or possessory rights over the premises. If the applicant is not the owner, written consent from the owner is required.

Qualifying Applicant Status

A cannabis clinic licence is not issued to a standalone new business in isolation. The applicant must already hold a qualifying licence, such as:

• A hospital licence
• A herbal-product licence
• A pharmaceutical / drug licence
• A Category-5 extract licence
• A GACP cultivation site

This is why the shift is described as a move from dispensaries to clinics: the licence attaches to an existing regulated healthcare or production operation, not to a retail storefront. Businesses working through this transition should read our dispensary-to-clinic conversion guide.

Renewal

Renewal under the current regime is not a routine formality. It is treated as a full re-qualification against the 2025/2026 criteria — a clinic must effectively prove it still meets every standard above.

Key points to plan around:

• A previously suspended licence cannot be renewed.
• There is no grace period after expiry.
• Fees and validity periods vary by licence type and should be confirmed directly with DTAM or the Thai FDA. Do not rely on older published fee figures, which conflict across sources.

If you are converting an existing licence, note the roughly three-year conversion transition window aligned to licence-expiry cycles; the practical deadline depends on when your specific licence lapses.

Next Steps for Operators

Meeting the clinic standard is an operational and licensing project, not a paperwork exercise. If you are planning to open, convert, or renew, start with the business hub:

• Business hub — licensing, operations and compliance for cannabis businesses in Thailand
• Cannabis licence in Thailand — the licence types and how to qualify
• Dispensary-to-clinic conversion — the practical path for existing shops

For the patient and legal side, see our medical cannabis hub and Thailand cannabis law overview.

Standards for cannabis clinics are set by ministerial regulation and are subject to change. Verify current requirements with DTAM, the Thai FDA, or a qualified Thai legal adviser before making operating or investment decisions.