Who Can Legally Prescribe Cannabis in Thailand?

Under Thailand’s current controlled-herb framework, seven categories of licensed human practitioners can legally prescribe cannabis and issue the PT 33 (พ.ท. 33) form: medical doctors, Thai traditional-medicine practitioners, applied Thai traditional-medicine practitioners, traditional Chinese-medicine practitioners, pharmacists, dentists, and licensed folk healers. Each of them must have completed DTAM-certified cannabis-medicine training. Nurses cannot prescribe. Veterinarians are not on the human list — they may authorize cannabis for animals only.

This page explains who each of those practitioners is, what the PT 33 requires, and where the rules come from — so you know whether the person offering you a prescription is actually allowed to write one.

The Seven Authorized Prescriber Categories

Authorization to prescribe cannabis is tied to a practitioner’s professional license plus a specific cannabis-medicine certification. Holding a medical or health license alone is not enough. The practitioner must also complete training certified by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) and hold current DTAM cannabis-prescribing certification.

The table below lists the seven categories permitted to issue a PT 33, with their Thai names and typical practice setting.

In every case, the professional license and the DTAM cannabis certification must both be current. If a person offering a prescription cannot show that they belong to one of these seven categories and hold DTAM certification, the prescription they issue is not valid.

What “certified” means in practice

DTAM certification is not a one-time formality. It signals that the practitioner has been trained specifically in cannabis as a medicine — dosing, drug interactions, qualifying conditions, and the legal limits of a PT 33. This is why a general medical or pharmacy license alone does not authorize someone to prescribe cannabis: the cannabis-specific certification is the operative requirement.

If you want to know which conditions these practitioners can prescribe for, see our guide to what conditions qualify for a PT 33.

Veterinarians: Animals Only

Veterinarians (สัตวแพทย์) are not part of the seven-category list of human prescribers. They cannot issue a PT 33 for a person.

Under separate veterinary rules, a licensed veterinarian may authorize cannabis-based treatment for animals only — for example, in the veterinary management of certain animal conditions. This is a distinct legal pathway with its own requirements, and it does not extend to human patients under any circumstances. A prescription for a person must come from one of the seven human-practitioner categories above.

Who Cannot Prescribe

Two points cause frequent confusion:

• Nurses (พยาบาล) are not authorized cannabis prescribers. A nurse may assist in a clinical setting, but they cannot issue a PT 33. Do not accept a prescription written by nursing staff.
• Veterinarians cannot prescribe for people. As above, their authority is limited to animals under separate rules.

Anyone outside the seven certified human-practitioner categories — including unlicensed sellers, dispensary staff without a prescribing license, and “consultants” — cannot legally issue a PT 33.

What the PT 33 Requires

The PT 33 (พ.ท. 33) is the prescription document that makes a cannabis purchase legal. A few practical points:

• It is required to buy cannabis flower. Since 26 June 2025, cannabis flower has been classified as a controlled herb, and a PT 33 issued by a certified practitioner is required to purchase it legally.
• It is time-limited. A PT 33 is valid for up to 30 days, and dispensing is commonly capped at around 30 grams per month.
• A practitioner must be present at the outlet. Since January 2026, at least one certified practitioner must be physically on-site during all operating hours at a licensed outlet. This ties every legal sale back to a real, certified prescriber rather than a paper credential.

For the full mechanics of the prescription itself — how to obtain one, what to bring, and how it is used at the point of sale — see the PT 33 prescription guide. For how these prescriber and on-site rules affect a licensed outlet, see our business hub and the clinic operating requirements.

Where These Rules Come From

The list of authorized professions is not fixed by a single statute in isolation. The enumeration of who may prescribe is set by ministerial notification under Thailand’s controlled-herb framework — which sits under the Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Knowledge Act B.E. 2542, together with Ministry of Public Health notifications. Because the specific list is defined by notification rather than primary legislation, it can be amended.

For that reason, the seven categories above should be treated as the current position and confirmed against up-to-date DTAM guidance before you rely on them for a specific case. Regulatory detail in this area has changed repeatedly, and the practitioner list is exactly the kind of item a notification can revise.

For the broader legal picture — how cannabis is classified and what the controlled-herb reclassification changed — see our legal hub.

In Short

• Seven categories of DTAM-certified human practitioners may prescribe cannabis and issue a PT 33: medical doctors, Thai traditional-medicine practitioners, applied Thai traditional-medicine practitioners, traditional Chinese-medicine practitioners, pharmacists, dentists, and licensed folk healers.
• Every prescriber must hold current DTAM cannabis-prescribing certification — a professional license alone is not enough.
• Nurses cannot prescribe. Veterinarians can authorize cannabis for animals only, never for people.
• A PT 33 is required to buy cannabis flower, is valid up to 30 days (commonly ~30 g/month), and since January 2026 a certified practitioner must be on-site during all operating hours.

This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. Thailand’s cannabis rules — including the list of authorized prescribers — are set by ministerial notification and can change. Confirm the current position against DTAM guidance, and consult a qualified, certified practitioner about your own situation before acting.