Since 26 June 2025, cannabis flower in Thailand has been a controlled herb (āļŠāļĄāļļāļāđāļāļĢāļāļ§āļāļāļļāļĄ) under a Ministry of Public Health notification. It is not a narcotic. Flower may be sold only to a buyer with a PT 33 (āļ .āļ.33) prescription covering at most 30 days, and advertising or selling flower online is banned. This status decides who may sell, process, research or export flower, and what a grower, clinic or shop risks without a licence.
Translatorâs note: This explainer covers Thai law only. If you grow in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia or elsewhere, nothing here gives you permission to do anything. For your own country, see Cannabis Laws Across Asia and Key Global Markets.
The rule and its dates
The full name is the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis), B.E. 2568. Its Thai title is āļāļĢāļ°āļāļēāļĻāļāļĢāļ°āļāļĢāļ§āļāļŠāļēāļāļēāļĢāļāļŠāļļāļ āđāļĢāļ·āđāļāļ āļŠāļĄāļļāļāđāļāļĢāļāļ§āļāļāļļāļĄ (āļāļąāļāļāļē) āļ.āļĻ. 2568. It appeared in the Royal Gazette (āļĢāļēāļāļāļīāļāļāļēāļāļļāđāļāļāļĐāļē, the official government publication) on 25 June 2025. It took effect the next day, 26 June 2025.
Thai law counts years in the Buddhist Era (B.E.). Subtract 543 to get the Western year, so B.E. 2568 is 2025.
What to do: In licence files, contracts and staff training, write the Thai title and the date 26 June 2025. That way every document points to the same rule.
A notification, not an Act
A notification (āļāļĢāļ°āļāļēāļĻ) is signed by a minister and does not go through Parliament. The minister uses powers from a law that already exists. Here that law is the Thai Traditional Medicine Protection Act B.E. 2542 (1999), called âthe 1999 Actâ below. Because of this, another notification can change the rule without a vote.
So there is no âControlled Herbs Act 2025â. Someone who uses that name means this notification. Thailand also has no cannabis Act yet. The Cabinet approved the draft Cannabis Control Act on 22 September 2026 and sent it to the House. It is not law.
Cannabis first became a controlled herb in June 2022. The 2025 notification made that status stricter. For the full story from 2022 to 2026, read Thailandâs Cannabis Rules, 2022 to 2026.
What to do: If a consultant or buyer cites a âControlled Herbs Actâ, ask for the Thai title and Gazette date before you rely on their advice.
Controlled herb or narcotic: the difference
| Narcotic (āļĒāļēāđāļŠāļāļāļīāļ) | Controlled herb (āļŠāļĄāļļāļāđāļāļĢāļāļ§āļāļāļļāļĄ) | |
|---|---|---|
| Parent law | Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 (2021) | The 1999 Act |
| Cannabis flower today | Off the narcotics list since June 2022 | A controlled herb; stricter rules since 26 June 2025 |
| How control works | Criminal narcotics law | A licence is needed for research, export, sale and processing (Section 46) |
| Penalty for trading without a licence | Not the law that covers flower today | Up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both (Section 78) |
The 2025 notification did not put cannabis back on the narcotics list. Governments have announced plans to relist it before, for example in 2024, but a plan changes nothing until a new rule is published.
What to do: When someone says âcannabis is legal nowâ, correct them. The plant is not a narcotic, but trading flower still needs a licence and a prescription.
Which parts of the plant count
- Flower (āļāđāļāļāļāļāļāļąāļāļāļē): a controlled herb under the notification.
- Leaves, stems, roots and seeds: not controlled herbs under this notification. Clause 3 makes only the flower (āļāđāļāļāļāļ) of cannabis a controlled herb.
- Extracts above 0.2% THC by weight: THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main intoxicating compound. Extracts above this level fall under a separate rule, the Ministerial Regulation on Cannabis or Hemp Extracts B.E. 2569. It has been in force since 26 April 2026. Only three kinds of applicant can get a licence: Thai juristic persons that are not âforeignâ under the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542, state agencies, and the Thai Red Cross Society. Details: Thailandâs Two Ministerial Regulations of B.E. 2569.
What to do: On every batch record, write the plant part. For extracts, also write the THC percentage from a lab certificate. This shows which rule covers the batch.
What is allowed and what is banned
| Activity | Rule |
|---|---|
| Selling flower | Only a licence holder may sell. The buyer must have a PT 33 prescription covering at most 30 days. |
| Advertising flower | Banned on every platform, including social media and this forum |
| Selling flower online | Banned |
| Research, export, sale, processing | Each needs a licence under Section 46 of the 1999 Act |
| Flower for sale or export | Must come from a site certified under Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP), according to law-firm summaries |
| Growing for yourself | From 2022, home growers registered their plants with the FDA through its âāļāļĨāļđāļāļāļąāļâ app. No source we found says home growing was banned in 2025. Check the current requirement with the FDA before you plant. |
Law-firm summaries add these details. The PT 33 is a paper form, and each one can be used only once. It must be written by one of seven groups of practitioners. These are medical doctors, Thai traditional medicine doctors, applied Thai traditional medicine doctors, folk healers, Chinese medicine practitioners, pharmacists and dentists. Dispensaries must keep every prescription for at least one year.
The Ministerial Regulation on Controlled Herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569 took effect on 30 April 2026. It sets stricter criteria for cannabis flower licences.
What to do: Before you sell any flower, check that you hold the right licence. Licensing and Compliance in Thailand explains which licence covers what.
What happens if you break the rules
- Prison or fine (Section 78): up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both. This applies to research, export, sale or processing without a licence. It also applies to carrying on the business while your licence is suspended.
- Suspension (Section 52): each suspension order can last up to 90 days.
- Revocation (Section 54): after a licence is revoked, the same person cannot get a new licence under the Act for two years. After that, a new licence is up to the licensing authority. Under Clause 8(1)(e) of the B.E. 2559 (2016) Ministerial Regulation, the two-year ban covers the company and its directors, managers and other responsible persons.
- Appeal (Sections 70â71): you can appeal to the Committee for the Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Knowledge. You must do this within 30 days of being notified. The order stays in force while the appeal runs. The Committeeâs decision is final.
For the full penalty map, see Licence Suspension and Revocation in Thailand.
What to do: Write the 30-day appeal deadline into your compliance file now. Then you will not miss it if an order arrives.
Steps you can take this week
- Growers: Do not sell flower unless you hold a sale licence and the flower comes from a GACP-certified site. Without both, the sale can lead to the Section 78 penalty.
- Farms planning to sell: Keep full records for one small batch as a test. Record the seed or clone source, every input with its date and amount, the harvest weight and the buyer. This shows you the gaps in your records before an auditor finds them. Use only pesticides registered with the Department of Agriculture (āļāļĢāļĄāļ§āļīāļāļēāļāļēāļĢāđāļāļĐāļāļĢ), and use them as the label says.
- Shops and clinics: Check every PT 33 at the counter. It must be on paper, written by one of the seven practitioner groups, and cover no more than 30 days. File it for at least one year so you can show it during an inspection.
- Everyone who posts online: Remove any post that shows flower for sale or offers to send it. Read Advertising and Selling Rules for Cannabis in Thailand before you post again.
- Companies with foreign shareholders: Ask a Thai lawyer whether your company counts as âforeignâ before you buy extraction equipment.
If you have questions, or if the rule is applied differently in your province, post below this topic.
References
- Royal Gazette (āļĢāļēāļāļāļīāļāļāļēāļāļļāđāļāļāļĐāļē), Vol. 142, 25 June 2025: Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis), B.E. 2568.
- Thai Traditional Medicine Protection Act B.E. 2542 (1999).
- 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.
- Ministerial Regulation on Cannabis or Hemp Extracts B.E. 2569 (2026).
- Ministerial Regulation on Controlled Herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569 (2026).
This explainer is general information, not legal advice. The rules have changed many times, so check the current position before you act.