Status verified: July 28, 2026
Thailand Cannabis Law News and Regulatory Updates
One page for where Thai cannabis law actually stands today, a dated timeline of every change since 2025, and the reporting behind each one.
Thai Cannabis Law: Status as of July 28, 2026
What is actually in force right now — not what a draft bill proposes. Every line names the instrument it comes from.
| Item | Status | Detail and governing instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Overall legal status | Medical use only | Since 26 June 2025. Recreational sale and all cannabis advertising are banned. |
| How cannabis flower is classified | Controlled herb | A "controlled herb" (สมุนไพรควบคุม) under the Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Knowledge Act B.E. 2542 (1999), administered by DTAM. Flower was not returned to the Category 5 narcotics list. |
| Cannabis & Hemp Act | Not passed | Still a draft. Ministerial regulations and MoPH notifications govern in the interim. |
| Buying cannabis flower | PT 33 prescription required | Anything above 0.2% THC needs a PT 33 prescription from a DTAM-certified prescriber. Valid for up to 30 days. |
| Retail model | Converting to medical facilities | From April 2026, roughly 11,000 licensed shops must become clinics, pharmacies, or traditional-medicine outlets over a three-year transition tied to licence expiry. |
| Extracts above 0.2% THC | Category 5 narcotics | The cannabis and hemp extract regulation (Royal Gazette 26 March 2026, effective 26 April 2026) limits them to four purposes: medical, research, industrial, and official narcotics-suppression activity. |
| CBD below 0.2% THC | Legal, no prescription | Sold under food, cosmetic, or herbal-product rules. Thai FDA registration and category-specific labelling still apply. |
| Smoking in public | Prohibited | Public smoking, or creating a nuisance from the smell, is punishable under the Public Health Act B.E. 2535 (1992) by a fine up to 25,000 THB and/or up to 3 months' imprisonment. |
| Selling without a prescription | Up to 1 year and/or 20,000 THB | Under the Traditional Medicine Act B.E. 2542 — a separate penalty from the 25,000 THB public-smoking fine above. Sources differ on whether it reads "and" or "or"; verify against the Thai text. |
The Thai Cannabis Market in Numbers
26 Jun 2025
Medical-only since this date
1,339 / 8,636
Licences renewed in 2025 (about 15.5%)
7,297
Shops closed out of 18,433 (as of Feb 2026)
~11,000
Shops that must convert to medical facilities in 3 years
Figures from primary reporting and law-firm analysis, current to mid-2026.
Cannabis & Hemp Act Tracker
Pending — not lawThailand still has no standalone cannabis statute in force. The Cannabis and Hemp Act (พ.ร.บ. กัญชา กัญชง) would be the country's first, but it has not passed. Until it does, the rules that bind operators and patients come from ministerial regulations, not from the bill.
- Latest movement
- 7 July 2026 — Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat advanced the draft, framing it as the legal backbone for a medical-only cannabis system.
- Public consultation
- Run by the Ministry of Public Health from 22 April to 21 May 2026, with a further round completed in June 2026.
- Parliamentary status
- Did not reach deliberation in the current parliamentary session. Still pending.
- Stated target
- Passage before the end of 2026 — an official aspiration, not a commitment. The timeline has slipped before.
- What passage would change
- Statutory control of cannabis from the cultivation stage for the first time; shops required to operate as medical facilities with a practitioner on site; penalties set in primary legislation.
- Penalties in the draft
- Described as "relatively high and serious." No fine amounts or prison terms have been published — treat circulating figures as unreliable until the text passes.
- What governs meanwhile
- Ministerial regulations and MoPH notifications, the Traditional Medicine Act B.E. 2542 for flower, and the Narcotics Code for extracts above 0.2% THC.
Timeline: Thai Cannabis Law Changes, 2025-2026
Newest first. Every entry is a change that actually took effect, not a proposal.
-
7 July 2026
Cannabis & Hemp Act revived
The Public Health Minister pushed the draft forward again. It would control cannabis from the cultivation stage for the first time. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul warned the government may "shut down" the industry if legislation keeps stalling.
Read the full report → -
July 2026
Crackdown on forged PT 33 prescriptions
Authorities moved against fake prescriptions and clinics issuing them without a genuine consultation, putting the burden on patients and tourists to tell a legitimate prescription from a fake.
Read the full report → -
July 2026
Export and smuggling enforcement wave
Thai officers seized 287 kg of cannabis disguised as coffee beans bound for the UK, part of a wider response to seizures of Thai-origin cannabis abroad.
Read the full report → -
30 April 2026
Ministerial Regulation No. 2 B.E. 2569 published
Royal Gazette Vol. 143, Part 28 ก, effective the next day. It sets the four cumulative Article 8/1 criteria for licensing the study, sale, processing, and export of controlled herbs, mandates odour and smoke elimination systems, and requires exported flower to be GACP-certified.
Read the full report → -
26 April 2026
Cannabis and hemp extract regulation takes effect
Published in the Royal Gazette on 26 March 2026. Extracts above 0.2% THC remain Category 5 narcotics and are limited to four purposes. Medical-purpose extract production licences are reserved for Thai juristic persons that are not foreign businesses. Licences issued under the earlier frameworks run until 31 December 2026.
Read the full report → -
22 April - 21 May 2026
Public consultation on the draft Act
The Ministry of Public Health ran its formal public consultation on the Cannabis and Hemp Act ahead of submission to parliament.
Read the full report → -
April 2026
Dispensary-to-clinic conversion mandate announced
MoPH set out that the roughly 11,000 remaining licensed shops must become clinics, pharmacies, or traditional-medicine outlets over a three-year transition aligned to licence expiry. Officials expect only around 3,000 outlets to complete it.
Read the full report → -
January 2026
Staffing and facility standards in force
At least one DTAM-trained staff member must be present throughout opening hours. Premises need odour and smoke elimination, plus segregated, elevated, climate-controlled storage.
Read the full report → -
December 2025
Tighter clinic-standard regulations approved
Regulators approved the standards requiring medical supervision of dispensing and a certified practitioner on site — the rules that took effect the following month.
-
26 June 2025
Recriminalisation to medical-only
A Ministry of Public Health notification published in the Royal Gazette took immediate effect, reclassifying cannabis flower as a controlled herb, requiring a prescription for purchase, and banning recreational sale and advertising.
The Reporting Behind Each Change
Every report is sourced to the Royal Gazette, a Ministry of Public Health notification, or primary news reporting, with the citations listed at the foot of the article.
Legislation and the Cannabis & Hemp Act
Movement at the statutory and ministerial-regulation level.
- Thailand's Cannabis and Hemp Act Revived: The July 2026 Draft Thailand's Cannabis and Hemp Act is revived in July 2026 with first-ever cultivation controls, as PM Anutin threatens to shut down the industry.
- Cannabis & Hemp Act Thailand: Consultation Closed 21 May 2026 Status update on Thailand's Cannabis and Hemp Act. Public consultation runs 22 April through 21 May 2026, with parliamentary submission expected shortly after.
- Two New Thai Cannabis Ministerial Regulations Now in Force Two new ministerial regulations took effect in April 2026, reshaping how cannabis is licensed, sold, processed, and exported in Thailand. Full breakdown.
Licensing and the Clinic Conversion
What operators have to do to still be open next year.
- Thailand Orders Dispensaries to Convert to Clinics: April 2026 Thailand will convert ~11,000 cannabis shops into clinics, pharmacies or herbal-medicine outlets over three years. What the April 2026 mandate requires.
- Thailand Cannabis Shops Closing: Only 15% Renewed (2026) Thailand's cannabis shops must convert to licensed medical facilities or close: only 1,339 of 8,636 licenses were renewed in 2025. Updated July 2026.
Enforcement and Crackdowns
Inspections, seizures, and the cases that show how the rules are actually applied.
- Thailand's 2026 Crackdown on Fake PT 33 Cannabis Prescriptions Thailand's 2026 crackdown on forged PT 33 cannabis prescriptions. How patients and tourists can spot a legitimate prescription and clinic from a fake.
- Thailand's 2026 Cannabis Smuggling Crackdown and Export Rules Thai officers seized 287kg of cannabis disguised as coffee beans bound for the UK. Inside the 2026 smuggling crackdown, penalties and legal export rules.
What Patients and Tourists Need to Check
Practical verification steps before buying or using cannabis in Thailand.
- Can Tourists Still Buy Cannabis in Thailand? The 2026 Rules Yes, but only from a licensed outlet with a PT 33 prescription from a Thai doctor. Thailand's 2026 medical-only cannabis rules for tourists, explained.
- Cannabis Shop Near Me: How to Check It's Licensed in Thailand Looking for a cannabis shop near you in Thailand? Check DTAM's public GPS registry in 2 minutes to see whether it is licensed, before you walk in.
What to Watch Next
The dated items and pressure points that will move this page next.
The Cannabis & Hemp Act
Still pending. If it passes it would supersede the ministerial regulations and set penalties, ownership rules, and export pathways in primary legislation.
31 December 2026
Extract licences issued under the 2020 and 2021 frameworks expire. Renewal requires full re-qualification, not an automatic rollover.
The 2026 licence-expiry wave
Bangkok Post reported roughly 12,000 distribution licences valid for 2026-2028, with about half expiring during 2026. Single-source — treat as indicative until corroborated.
The three-year conversion clock
Running since April 2026 and tied to each shop's own licence-expiry date, so the deadline is different for every operator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cannabis law in Thailand right now? ▼
As of July 28, 2026, cannabis in Thailand is legal for medical use only. Since 26 June 2025, cannabis flower has been classified as a controlled herb under the Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Knowledge Act B.E. 2542. Buying any product above 0.2% THC requires a PT 33 prescription. Recreational sale and cannabis advertising are banned.
Has Thailand's Cannabis and Hemp Act passed? ▼
No. The draft completed a Ministry of Public Health public consultation that ran from 22 April to 21 May 2026, and the Public Health Minister advanced it again on 7 July 2026, but it did not reach deliberation in the current parliamentary session. It remains a draft. Ministerial regulations govern in the interim.
What was the most recent change to Thai cannabis law? ▼
Two ministerial regulations that landed in April 2026: the cannabis and hemp extract regulation (effective 26 April 2026) and Ministerial Regulation No. 2 B.E. 2569 on controlled herbs (published 30 April 2026). The most recent development, in July 2026, was the revival of the draft Cannabis and Hemp Act — which is not yet law.
Is cannabis illegal again in Thailand? ▼
Not entirely. Cannabis flower was not returned to the Category 5 narcotics list. It is a prescription-only controlled herb, so medical use remains legal while recreational sale and use are offences. Extracts above 0.2% THC do remain Category 5 narcotics.
What is the fine for cannabis in Thailand? ▼
It depends on the conduct, and two figures are routinely confused. Smoking in public or causing a nuisance from the smell carries a fine up to 25,000 THB and/or up to 3 months' imprisonment under the Public Health Act B.E. 2535 (1992). Selling cannabis without a prescription carries up to 1 year imprisonment and/or a 20,000 THB fine under the Traditional Medicine Act B.E. 2542. They are separate penalties under separate statutes.
Are Thailand's cannabis shops closing? ▼
The ones that do not adapt are. Of 8,636 licences that expired in 2025, only 1,339 were renewed, and 7,297 of 18,433 shops had closed by February 2026. The roughly 11,000 that remain must convert into clinics, pharmacies, or traditional-medicine outlets within three years.
How often is this page updated? ▼
We re-check the status board against the Royal Gazette, Ministry of Public Health notifications, and primary reporting whenever the position moves. The verification date is shown at the top of the page — currently July 28, 2026.
Go Deeper
The reference pages behind the news on this hub:
Cannabis Law 2026
The current legal framework, penalties, and what it means in practice
Cannabis & Hemp Act Tracker
Bill status and what governs while it waits
Business Compliance
Licensing, renewals, and the clinic conversion
Medical Cannabis
PT 33 prescriptions, qualifying conditions, and patient access
All Articles & Guides
The full library, including evergreen explainers
Licensed Clinics
Clinics that can issue a PT 33 prescription
Disclaimer
Status verified: July 28, 2026. Verified against primary government sources (Royal Gazette, Ministry of Public Health, Thai FDA, DTAM). Our editorial standards