This board is for news that changes something for people who grow, process or sell cannabis and hemp. It covers Asia and the overseas markets that Asian producers export to. A post here should help you decide whether you need to change anything on your farm or in your business.
What counts as news on this board
Post a change that affects how people can legally operate or sell. Typical examples:
- A new regulation is published. This includes a ministerial regulation, a ministry notification or a new standard.
- A licensing system changes. The rules on who can get a licence, what it allows, or how it is suspended or revoked are altered.
- An import or export route opens or closes. A country starts or stops accepting a product, such as flower, extract or seed.
- A court decision comes out. The ruling changes how a rule is read or enforced.
- A market moves. A buyer country changes demand, prices or entry requirements.
What to do: Before you post, write one plain sentence that says what changed and who it affects. Readers can then decide quickly whether the news concerns them.
Attach the primary source
A primary source is the original text from the body that made the decision. Examples are a ministry announcement, an entry in the official government gazette, or a page on the regulator’s own website. A news report is not a primary source. It is someone’s summary of that text.
A post with the primary source attached is worth much more than one without it. One original text settles a disagreement that three news reports cannot, because those reports often copy each other. This matters most with translated headlines. A headline translated from Thai, Chinese or Japanese can claim something the legal text does not say. The forum’s guide to reading the original legal texts explains why this matters before you act.
Translator’s note: In Thailand, laws, ministerial regulations and ministry notifications are published in the Royal Gazette (ราชกิจจานุเบกษา), the official government publication. The Royal Gazette entry is the primary source for any Thai legal change. Its official website is https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th. For cannabis as a controlled herb, the regulator’s own page is a second useful source. The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (กรมการแพทย์แผนไทยและการแพทย์ทางเลือก) is the department in charge of controlled-herb cannabis licences. Its website is https://www.dtam.moph.go.th. For health products made with cannabis or hemp, such as food, cosmetics, herbal products and extracts, check the Thai Food and Drug Administration (อย.) at https://www.fda.moph.go.th.
What to do: Paste the link to the original text. Quote the exact clause or section number that makes the change. If you only have a news report, say so clearly. Other members can then help you find the original.
Two habits that keep this board reliable
Give two dates: publication and entry into force
The publication date is the day the text officially appears. The date of entry into force is the day the rule actually starts to apply. These two dates are often weeks apart. If you run a farm, shop or clinic now, that gap decides whether your current practice is still legal.
Translator’s note: Thai examples show why you must read the date clause and not guess. Under Section 4 of the Thai Traditional Medicine Protection Act B.E. 2542 (1999), ministerial regulations and notifications under that Act take effect when they are published in the Royal Gazette. This is why the Ministerial Regulation on Controlled Herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569 took effect on 30 April 2026, not 1 May. Other recent dates to check against are:
| Thai rule | In force |
|---|---|
| Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis), B.E. 2568 | 26 June 2025 |
| Ministerial Regulation on Cannabis or Hemp Extracts B.E. 2569 | 26 April 2026 |
| Ministerial Regulation on Controlled Herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569 | 30 April 2026 |
The forum has a separate summary of Thailand’s two ministerial regulations of B.E. 2569.
What to do: Put both dates in your first line. If the text gives no separate start date, write that, and say which rule decides when it starts.
Say whether it is a draft or a law
A draft is a proposed law that has not been passed. It changes nothing yet. A law applies only once it has been passed and officially published. Mixing up the two causes real mistakes. People change their business, or tell others to, because of a rule that does not exist yet.
Thailand has a draft Cannabis Control Act that has not been passed. News outlets often report it as if it were already in force. This happens so often that the wrong version keeps spreading on its own.
Translator’s note: The Thai Cabinet approved the draft Cannabis Control Act on 22 September 2026 and sent it to the House of Representatives. It is not law. Until it is passed and published, cannabis flower stays a controlled herb under the 1999 Act and the B.E. 2568 notification. Under that notification, flower may be sold only with a PT 33 (ภ.ท.33) prescription covering at most 30 days, and advertising and online sale of flower are prohibited. The forum’s article on the draft Cannabis Control Act explains where the bill stands.
What to do: Label every post with its status: “draft”, “passed but not yet in force” or “in force”. If a news report does not make the status clear, label it “status unconfirmed” until someone finds the primary source.
A template you can copy
Use this format for each news post. Every line helps readers check the post and decide what to do.
What changed: (one sentence)
Who it affects: (e.g. licensed farms, home growers, extract makers, exporters to country X)
Country / market:
Status: draft / passed, not yet in force / in force
Publication date:
Date of entry into force:
Primary source: (link + clause or section number)
News reports used: (links, if any)
Translation note: (original-language term next to your translation, if the text is not in English)
The translation note matters in Southeast Asia, where many readers follow news through machine translation. Write the legal term in its original language next to your translation, for example “controlled herb (สมุนไพรควบคุม)”. Readers can then search the original text themselves.
What to do: Copy the template into your next news post and fill in every line. If a line stays empty, say why. For example: “no primary source found yet”.
Where to find the standing legal summaries
This board has no reference articles of its own yet. The forum keeps its standing summaries of the law in other sections:
- Thailand Cannabis Law Update 2026 — What Farmers Need to Know
- Cannabis Laws Across Asia and Key Global Markets, 2026: Thailand and Southeast Asia (Part 1 of 2)
- Cannabis Laws Across Asia and Key Global Markets, 2026: East Asia, South Asia, Israel and Europe (Part 2 of 2)
What to do: When you post a change, check it against the matching summary. If the summary is now out of date, say so in a reply under that summary. The editors can then update it.
Ask and discuss here
Have you seen a headline but can’t find the original text? Post the headline under this topic and ask. Other members may already have the Royal Gazette entry or the regulator’s page. You can also post here if you are not sure whether a change is a draft or a law, or when it takes effect.