This is the position as of October 2026. Thai law treats cannabis in three different ways:
- Cannabis flower is a controlled herb. It can only be sold against a prescription.
- Extracts with more than 0.2% THC are still narcotics. Working with them needs a licence.
- The draft Cannabis Control Act has been approved by the Cabinet. It is not law yet.
This article covers only the rules in force now. Cannabis was removed from the narcotics list in 2022. For how the law changed from then until 2026, read Thailand’s Cannabis Rules, 2022 to 2026: From the Narcotics List to Controlled Herb.
The Legal Texts That Matter in 2026
Thailand’s cannabis rules sit in three kinds of legal text. Parliament passes an Act. A minister issues a Ministerial Regulation or a Notification under an existing Act. Each one starts to count only after it is published in the Royal Gazette, Thailand’s official legal journal.
| Legal text | What it covers | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis), B.E. 2568 | Makes cannabis flower a controlled herb | In force since 26 June 2025 |
| Ministerial Regulation on Controlled Herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569 | Tightens the licence conditions for cannabis flower | In force since 30 April 2026 |
| Ministerial Regulation on Cannabis or Hemp Extracts B.E. 2569 | Licences for extracts above 0.2% THC | In force since 26 April 2026 |
| Draft Cannabis Control Act | A future cannabis law | Draft only, not in force |
The 2025 Notification. It was signed on 23 June 2025 and published in the Royal Gazette on 25 June. It took effect on 26 June 2025. It was issued under the Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine Knowledge Act B.E. 2542 (1999), called “the 1999 Act” below. It replaced an earlier controlled-herb notification from B.E. 2565 (2022).
The Notification makes only the flower (inflorescence, the bud) a controlled herb. It does not cover the rest of the plant. A controlled herb is a plant part that the state controls under the 1999 Act. Research, export, sale and processing of a controlled herb all need a licence.
The two Ministerial Regulations of B.E. 2569. The first is the Controlled Herbs (No. 2) regulation, which took effect on 30 April 2026. It adds stricter licence conditions for cannabis flower on top of the 2025 Notification. The second is the extracts regulation. Its full title is “Ministerial Regulation on Permission to Produce, Import, Export, Sell or Possess Category 5 Narcotics, Specifically Cannabis or Hemp Extracts B.E. 2569 (2026)”. This article calls it “the Extracts Regulation”. It was published on 26 March 2026 and took effect on 26 April 2026. For what changed in practice, see Thailand’s Two Ministerial Regulations of B.E. 2569.
Under the Extracts Regulation, only three kinds of applicant can get a licence for extracts above 0.2% THC:
- Thai legal entities that are not “foreign” as defined in the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999)
- government agencies
- the Thai Red Cross Society
The draft Cannabis Control Act. Its earlier name was the Cannabis and Hemp Act. The Cabinet approved it on 22 September 2026 and sent it to the House of Representatives. It is not in force.
What to do: Save the official Royal Gazette text of each of the three texts in force. Write its in-force date on the first page. Then you can show an inspector, buyer or lawyer the exact rule you follow. A news summary is not proof of the rule. Official copies are on the ministry websites: the 2025 Notification and the licensing regulation with its No. 2 amendment are on the DTAM site, and the Extracts Regulation is on the FDA site.
What Is Allowed and What Is Not in 2026
Medical use
Cannabis flower can only be dispensed against a prescription on the official form PT 33 (ภ.ท.33). An authorised practitioner must write it. One prescription can cover no more than 30 days.
Selling and other commercial activities
Four activities need a licence under Section 46 of the 1999 Act: selling, processing for commercial purposes, research and export.
The law also limits how and where you can sell:
- No remote sales. Vending machines, electronic channels and computer networks are banned. This means cannabis flower cannot be sold online.
- No sales at certain places: temples and other places of worship, dormitories, public parks, zoos and amusement parks.
Translator’s note: Under Section 78 of the 1999 Act, research, export, sale or processing of a controlled herb without a Section 46 licence can bring up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both. The same penalty applies if a business keeps operating while its licence is suspended. Some posts quote a penalty of “3 months / 25,000 baht”. The Act has no such penalty. For the full list of penalties, see Licence Suspension and Revocation in Thailand: The Full Penalty Map.
Advertising
Advertising controlled herbs for commercial purposes is banned on every channel. For what you can and cannot post here, see Advertising and Selling Rules for Cannabis in Thailand.
Smoking on the premises
A shop may not sell cannabis for customers to smoke on site. The only exception is sale by medical doctors, dentists, Thai traditional medicine practitioners, applied Thai traditional medicine practitioners, folk healers and Chinese medicine practitioners, and only to treat their own patients.
There is also a separate rule for smoke and smell. If they disturb other people, they count as a “public nuisance” under the Public Health Act B.E. 2535 (1992). This applies to anyone, not only shops.
No legal route for recreational use
Cannabis flower has not been on the narcotics list since the 2022 delisting. The 2025 Notification did not put it back. Many articles from 2022–2024 therefore describe cannabis as “decriminalized”. Those articles describe the period before the prescription rule. Not being a narcotic does not mean recreational use is allowed. Since June 2025, the only lawful way to get cannabis flower is with a prescription.
Extracts
Extracts with more than 0.2% THC by weight are still Category 5 narcotics under Thailand’s narcotics law. Producing, importing, exporting, selling or possessing them needs a licence under the Extracts Regulation described above.
What to do if you run a farm or shop:
- Check that your Section 46 licence covers each activity you actually do: sale, processing, research or export. Each of these needs a licence. Doing one that your licence doesn’t cover counts as doing it without a licence.
- Delete any post that offers flower for sale or promotes it. This includes Facebook, LINE, websites and marketplace apps. Online sale and advertising are banned on every channel.
- Before you fill a prescription, check that it is on the PT 33 form and covers no more than 30 days. Keep a copy of every prescription you fill. It shows that each sale went through the lawful route.
Translator’s note for home growers: The original article does not cover growing for your own use. Two things are clear from the rules above. You cannot sell flower without a Section 46 licence. You also cannot advertise flower or offer it online, even in a small group chat. This article could not confirm whether growing for your own use currently needs a notification, registration or licence. Ask DTAM or your Provincial Public Health Office before you start. To learn from other growers’ experience, ask in the Licensing and Compliance section.
Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP): The Standard for Growing
GACP is a farm standard for medicinal plants. It sets out how the plant is grown, harvested and handled, and it is checked by inspection. Tilleke & Gibbins is a law firm that publishes summaries of Thai law. Its summary of the 2025 Notification says that cannabis flower sold or exported must come from GACP-certified sites. Clause 4(4) of the Notification sets this rule. The site must be certified by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM).
What GACP covers
GACP covers site selection, soil quality, water sources, air quality, pest control, hygiene, building materials and post-harvest handling. You must also keep records that trace each batch from seed to sale. That means you can see where each batch came from, what went into it and who it was sold to.
How certification works
You are certified after a DTAM inspector visits your site. A certificate does not last forever. Ask DTAM for the current validity period and how often inspectors come back to check.
Existing licence holders
Some licences were issued under Section 46 before the 2025 Notification took effect. Holders of these licences must also meet the Notification’s conditions.
Translator’s note: Here is what can happen to a licence holder who breaks the conditions under the 1999 Act:
- Suspension (Section 52): one order can suspend a licence for up to 90 days.
- Revocation (Section 54): you cannot get a licence under the Act again for two years after revocation. After that, any new licence is at the licensing authority’s discretion.
- Who the ban covers: under Clause 8(1)(e) of the Ministerial Regulation on licensing for research, export, sale and processing of controlled herbs, B.E. 2559 (2016), the two-year ban covers the company and its directors, managers and other responsible persons.
- Appeals (Sections 70 and 71): you can appeal to the Committee for the Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Knowledge within 30 days of being notified. The order stays in effect while the appeal runs. The Committee’s decision is final.
Translator’s note on Thai conditions: In the rainy season, paper logs in a farm shed get damp and the ink runs. Keep the log in a closed box, and photograph each page once a week as a backup. Use only pesticides registered with the Department of Agriculture (กรมวิชาการเกษตร), and follow the label (see What You May Legally Spray Under Thai GACP). If you buy clones from another farm, you need that farm’s records of origin, or you cannot trace the batch from seed. Bought clones also risk bringing in pests, hop latent viroid or the wrong strain.
What to do: Start your records now, before you apply. An inspector checks whether each batch can be traced, and you cannot rebuild missing records later. For one full crop cycle, write down:
- where the seeds or clones came from
- every fertiliser and input, with the date and dose
- every spray, with the product name and its Department of Agriculture registration number
- the harvest weight of each batch, and who each batch went to
Test this on one room or one batch first. This shows where your records have gaps before an inspector finds them. Then contact DTAM, which certifies cannabis growing sites. To apply for a licence to sell or process flower, go to DTAM if you are in Bangkok, or to the Provincial Public Health Office (สสจ.) where your business is located.
What Could Change Next
The draft Cannabis Control Act. The Cabinet approved the draft on 22 September 2026. Before it can take effect, it must still pass the House of Representatives and the Senate, receive royal endorsement and be published in the Royal Gazette. Until then, the 2025 Notification and the two Ministerial Regulations above remain the rules. For the possible outcomes, see The Draft Cannabis Control Act: Where Thailand’s Cannabis Legislation Actually Stands.
Rules can change quickly. The current rules come from ministerial texts, not from a cannabis law passed by parliament. That means they can change without a new Act. The 2025 Notification shows how fast this can happen: it was published on 25 June and took effect the next day.
Export. Export needs a licence. A GACP-certified farm is still how Thai producers can supply regulated markets abroad. For destinations and documents, see From a Thai Farm to a Regulated Overseas Market.
What to do:
- Check the Royal Gazette for new cannabis notifications once a month. A new rule can take effect one day after it is published, so you may get no other warning.
- Do not plan investments based on the draft Act. It can still change at any of the remaining steps.
- If you want to export, get GACP certification first. Without it, a regulated foreign buyer has no lawful way to buy from you.
Summary
In 2026, cannabis flower in Thailand needs a prescription. Selling, export and extracts above 0.2% THC need a licence. GACP certification is the standard for growing. Check the date of any guide you read: rules that 2022–2024 articles describe as current no longer apply.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal advice. Thai rules can change by notification. Check the current text in the Royal Gazette, or consult a Thai lawyer, before you act.
If you have a question about these rules or have been through a GACP inspection, post it below this topic so other growers can learn from it.
References
- Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis), B.E. 2568 (2025). Royal Gazette, 25 June 2025.
- Ministerial Regulation on Controlled Herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569 (2026). Royal Gazette, 30 April 2026.
- Ministerial Regulation on Permission to Produce, Import, Export, Sell or Possess Category 5 Narcotics, Specifically Cannabis or Hemp Extracts B.E. 2569 (2026). Royal Gazette, 26 March 2026.
- Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine Knowledge Act B.E. 2542 (1999), Sections 46, 52, 54, 70, 71 and 78.
- Ministerial Regulation on licensing for research, export, sale and processing of controlled herbs, B.E. 2559 (2016). Royal Gazette vol. 133 part 103 Kor, 9 December 2016, Clause 8(1)(e).
- Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999).
- Public Health Act B.E. 2535 (1992).
- Tilleke & Gibbins, “Thailand’s New Cannabis Controls Impact Doctors, Dispensaries, and Growers”, 3 September 2025. Thailand’s New Cannabis Controls Impact Doctors, Dispensaries, and Growers - Tilleke & Gibbins