Table of Contents
- Breaking: New Cannabis Regulations Effective June 2025
- What Changed in Thailand Cannabis Laws
- Current Legal Status of Cannabis in Thailand
- New Licensing Requirements for Cannabis Businesses
- Cannabis Sales Restrictions and Prohibitions
- Medical Cannabis Prescription Requirements
- GACP Certification Under New Cannabis Laws
- Impact on Existing Cannabis Businesses
- Enforcement Timeline and Grace Periods
- What Remains Legal vs What’s Now Prohibited
- Frequently Asked Questions About New Cannabis Laws
Breaking: New Cannabis Regulations Effective June 2025
Thailand’s cannabis laws changed dramatically in June 2025 when Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin signed a new ministerial announcement reclassifying cannabis flowers as controlled herbs. This represents the most significant shift in Thailand’s cannabis policy since the 2022 decriminalization that created a billion-dollar industry.
The new regulation, officially titled “Controlled Herbs (Cannabis) 2025,” takes effect immediately upon publication in the Royal Gazette and revokes the 2022 ministerial order that had removed cannabis from Category 5 narcotics under the Narcotics Act.
This change follows growing government concerns about widespread recreational cannabis use, particularly among youth, and the lack of comprehensive regulatory framework governing Thailand’s cannabis industry.
Key Legal Changes Summary
Cannabis flowers are now controlled herbs requiring licenses for all commercial activities including cultivation, processing, sales, and export. Medical use remains legal with proper prescriptions, while other plant parts (leaves, stems, seeds) remain uncontrolled.
The changes aim to limit cannabis use to medical purposes only while maintaining economic benefits through regulated channels, affecting over 11,200 existing cannabis dispensaries nationwide.
What Changed in Thailand Cannabis Laws
Reclassification of Cannabis Components
Under the new regulation, only flowering parts of cannabis plants are classified as controlled herbs. This targeted approach allows continued use of cannabis leaves, stems, and seeds for various applications while strictly controlling the psychoactive flower portions.
Cannabis extracts containing less than 0.2% THC remain legal and uncontrolled, preserving access to CBD products and low-THC therapeutic preparations that formed a significant portion of Thailand’s legal cannabis market.
Licensing System Implementation
All individuals or organizations wishing to research, export, sell, or process cannabis flowers must obtain licenses under Section 46 of the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Protection and Promotion Act. This creates a comprehensive regulatory framework previously absent from Thailand’s cannabis industry.
License holders face strict documentation requirements, including detailed records of cannabis sources, intended uses, quantities stored, and regular standardized reporting to government registrars.
Sales Channel Restrictions
Cannabis sales are now restricted to licensed-to-licensed transactions only, eliminating direct-to-consumer sales except through medical channels. All cannabis flowers must originate from sources certified under Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) standards.
The new law specifically prohibits cannabis sales via vending machines, online platforms, and in public venues including temples, schools, parks, and tourist attractions.
Current Legal Status of Cannabis in Thailand
What Remains Legal Without Restrictions
Cannabis leaves, stems, and seeds are not classified as controlled herbs and remain freely available for industrial, culinary, and wellness applications. This preserves significant portions of Thailand’s hemp industry focused on fiber, textiles, and food products.
Cannabis extracts with less than 0.2% THC continue to be legal without prescription requirements, maintaining access to CBD oils, topicals, and other therapeutic products that don’t produce psychoactive effects.
Medical Cannabis Access
Medical cannabis remains fully legal when prescribed by licensed practitioners including medical doctors, traditional Thai medicine practitioners, dentists, and folk healers operating under relevant professional acts.
Medical prescriptions must specify treatment amounts with maximum 30-day usage periods, creating structured access for patients with legitimate medical needs while preventing abuse.
Licensed Commercial Activities
Cannabis cultivation, processing, and distribution remain legal for properly licensed operators meeting all regulatory requirements including GACP certification, professional oversight, and comprehensive documentation systems.
Research activities involving cannabis flowers are permitted under appropriate licensing, supporting continued scientific study and product development within regulated frameworks.
New Licensing Requirements for Cannabis Businesses
Mandatory License Categories
Cannabis flower businesses must obtain specific licenses based on their activities including cultivation, processing, distribution, export, and research. Each license category has distinct requirements and compliance obligations.
Existing businesses operating under previous regulations must transition to new licensing systems or cease cannabis flower operations, creating significant compliance challenges for established operators.
Documentation and Reporting Requirements
License holders must maintain comprehensive documentation covering cannabis sources, intended uses, storage quantities, and distribution channels. This information must be submitted to government registrars using standardized reporting formats.
Monthly reporting requirements include detailed inventory tracking, sales records, and compliance verification, creating ongoing administrative obligations for licensed businesses.
Professional Supervision Requirements
New cannabis businesses must employ medical professionals and undergo monthly government inspections. Businesses failing compliance requirements twice lose their licenses permanently, emphasizing the importance of proper operational management.
This requirement significantly increases operational costs and complexity for cannabis businesses, favoring larger, well-resourced operators over smaller independent shops.
Cannabis Sales Restrictions and Prohibitions
Location-Based Prohibitions
Cannabis sales are strictly prohibited in numerous public venues including religious sites, educational institutions, dormitories, public parks, zoos, and amusement parks. This eliminates cannabis access in tourist-heavy areas that previously drove significant industry revenue.
The restrictions particularly impact Thailand’s tourism industry, where cannabis shops in popular destinations like Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya generated substantial visitor spending.
Online and Automated Sales Bans
All online cannabis sales and vending machine distribution are strictly prohibited under the new regulations. This eliminates convenient access methods that had expanded cannabis availability beyond traditional retail locations.
The ban extends to all forms of digital marketing and advertising, significantly limiting how cannabis businesses can reach customers and promote their products.
Business-to-Business Only Model
Cannabis flower sales are restricted to licensed business transactions only, eliminating direct consumer purchases except through medical channels. This creates a controlled distribution system similar to pharmaceutical products.
Retail dispensaries must now function as medical facilities with professional supervision rather than general retail outlets, fundamentally changing the customer experience and business model.
Medical Cannabis Prescription Requirements
Qualified Prescribing Practitioners
Medical cannabis prescriptions can be issued by various licensed practitioners including medical doctors under the Medical Professions Act, traditional Thai medicine practitioners, applied traditional medicine practitioners, Chinese medicine practitioners, and licensed folk healers.
This broad practitioner base maintains patient access to medical cannabis while ensuring professional oversight and appropriate medical evaluation of treatment needs.
Prescription Specifications and Limits
Medical cannabis prescriptions must specify exact treatment amounts with maximum 30-day usage periods, requiring regular medical review and prescription renewal for ongoing treatment needs.
Prescribing practitioners must provide medical certificates detailing patient conditions requiring cannabis treatment, creating documented medical justification for each prescription.
Patient Access Procedures
Patients requiring medical cannabis must present both prescriptions and medical certificates when purchasing from licensed dispensaries, creating a controlled access system similar to other controlled medical substances.
This requirement ensures medical cannabis reaches only patients with legitimate medical needs while maintaining treatment access for those requiring cannabis therapy.
GACP Certification Under New Cannabis Laws
Enhanced GACP Requirements
All cannabis flower sources must maintain GACP certification from the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, making this agricultural certification even more critical under new regulations.
GACP certification ensures quality control, safety standards, and regulatory compliance throughout the cannabis cultivation process, supporting medical-grade product standards required under new laws.
Cultivation Compliance Standards
Licensed cannabis cultivation must meet enhanced GACP standards including comprehensive documentation, quality testing, security measures, and environmental controls appropriate for controlled herb production.
These requirements favor professional cultivation operations over smaller, informal growers, potentially consolidating cannabis production among fewer, larger-scale operators.
Supply Chain Verification
Cannabis distribution requires complete GACP-certified supply chain verification from cultivation through final sale, ensuring product quality and regulatory compliance at every stage.
This comprehensive tracking system supports the controlled distribution model while maintaining product safety and quality standards essential for medical cannabis applications.
Impact on Existing Cannabis Businesses
Industry-Wide Transformation Required
Thailand’s estimated 11,200+ cannabis dispensaries must adapt to new regulations or cease cannabis flower operations, creating massive industry disruption and potential business closures.
The transition from recreational retail to medical-only distribution requires fundamental business model changes, professional staffing, and regulatory compliance systems many existing operators lack.
Financial and Operational Challenges
Existing businesses face significant costs for licensing, professional staffing, compliance systems, and operational modifications required under new regulations.
Many smaller operators may find compliance costs prohibitive, potentially leading to industry consolidation favoring larger, better-resourced cannabis businesses.
Transition Period Considerations
Authorities indicated grace periods for business adaptation, though specific timelines remain unclear, creating uncertainty for operators planning compliance strategies.
Businesses must prepare for licensing applications, staff professional practitioners, implement documentation systems, and modify operations while maintaining current operations during transition periods.
Enforcement Timeline and Grace Periods
Immediate Effect Upon Publication
New regulations take effect immediately upon Royal Gazette publication, which could occur within days of the ministerial announcement, creating urgent compliance timelines for affected businesses.
The immediate implementation schedule provides little preparation time for businesses to adapt operations, obtain licenses, or modify business models before enforcement begins.
Grace Period for Business Adaptation
Government officials indicated allowance of grace periods for businesses to prepare for new requirements, though specific timeframes and compliance deadlines remain undefined.
During transition periods, businesses must balance continued operations with preparation for new regulatory requirements, creating operational and financial planning challenges.
Enforcement Priorities and Procedures
Monthly inspections and compliance monitoring will verify business adherence to new regulations, with license revocation for businesses failing compliance requirements twice.
Enforcement will likely focus initially on proper licensing, professional supervision, and documentation compliance rather than minor operational violations during transition periods.
What Remains Legal vs What’s Now Prohibited
Continued Legal Activities
Legal cannabis activities include:
- Cannabis leaf, stem, and seed use without restrictions
- CBD and low-THC (under 0.2%) product sales
- Medical cannabis with proper prescriptions
- Licensed cultivation with GACP certification
- Research activities under appropriate licensing
- Hemp industry operations for fiber and food
Newly Prohibited Activities
Prohibited cannabis activities include:
- Recreational cannabis flower sales without prescriptions
- Online and vending machine cannabis distribution
- Cannabis sales in public venues and tourist areas
- Cannabis advertising and marketing activities
- Unlicensed cannabis flower operations
- Direct consumer sales except through medical channels
Gray Areas and Uncertainty
Some regulatory aspects remain unclear including specific grace period durations, licensing fee structures, and enforcement priorities during transition periods.
Businesses and consumers should seek current legal guidance and monitor official government announcements for clarification on uncertain regulatory aspects.
Frequently Asked Questions About New Cannabis Laws
Is cannabis still legal in Thailand?
Cannabis remains legal but with significant new restrictions. Medical cannabis use with prescriptions is fully legal, while cannabis flowers require licenses for all commercial activities. Cannabis leaves, stems, seeds, and low-THC extracts remain unrestricted.
Can tourists still buy cannabis in Thailand?
Tourist cannabis access is now severely limited. Cannabis flowers require medical prescriptions, eliminating recreational tourist purchases. Low-THC CBD products remain available without restrictions in areas where sales are permitted.
What happens to existing cannabis shops?
Existing cannabis shops must obtain licenses and employ medical professionals or cease cannabis flower operations. Many may transition to CBD-only products or close entirely due to compliance costs and operational requirements.
When do the new laws take effect?
New regulations take effect immediately upon Royal Gazette publication, expected within days of the ministerial announcement. Grace periods for business adaptation are indicated but not specifically defined.
Do I need a prescription for all cannabis products?
Prescriptions are required only for cannabis flowers. Cannabis leaves, stems, seeds, and extracts with less than 0.2% THC remain available without prescriptions where sales are legally permitted.
Can I still grow cannabis at home?
Home cultivation regulations remain unclear under new laws. Previous cultivation registration requirements may continue, but growers should verify current legal requirements before proceeding.
What about GACP certification requirements?
GACP certification is now mandatory for all cannabis flower cultivation supplying licensed businesses. This agricultural certification ensures quality control and regulatory compliance for commercial cannabis operations.
Will cannabis be completely banned in Thailand?
Cannabis will not be completely banned. The new regulations aim to limit cannabis to medical use while maintaining economic benefits through controlled channels rather than eliminating the industry entirely.
Thailand’s cannabis laws underwent dramatic changes in June 2025, transforming from a largely unregulated recreational market to a strictly controlled medical-only system. While this creates significant challenges for existing businesses and limits tourist access, medical cannabis remains fully legal with proper prescriptions.
The new regulatory framework emphasizes quality control, professional oversight, and medical justification for cannabis use while preserving access for legitimate medical needs. Businesses and consumers should stay informed about implementation details and enforcement procedures as this regulatory transformation continues. Stay up to date with the latest changes here at the Space Trees Cannabis blogs
For the most current information, always consult official government sources and qualified legal professionals familiar with Thailand’s evolving cannabis regulations.
