Figures as of October 2026. Import volumes, Germany’s annual import ceiling, Australian prescribing scrutiny and Israel’s recent reforms may all change within the next year. Check the linked sources before you rely on any number.
Most exporters choose a medical cannabis flower market by its size. Size is the wrong first filter. The right first filter is whether the market’s rules allow your material to arrive in the form you can supply it. On that test, the five destinations Thai exporters most often ask about sort very differently from how they sort on volume. One of them is reported to have imported more than twenty tonnes of Thai flower in 2025. No Thai consignment has been documented in the other four.
1. Australia: the route that is open
Permissions. The importer needs an Office of Drug Control (ODC) import licence and a permit for each consignment. Patients are supplied through Special Access Scheme Category B, the Authorised Prescriber pathway or a clinical trial, with a sponsor (source: TGA guidance on importing, manufacturing and supplying medicinal cannabis).
Where the GMP step must happen. Since 1 July 2023, all imported medicinal cannabis released for supply must be made under GMP, and every manufacturing step done overseas must comply with GMP. There is one exception: non-GMP cannabis may be used as a starting material to manufacture another GMP-compliant product (source: ECA Academy summary of the TGO 93 amendment; TGA medicinal cannabis reforms FAQ).
- GACP-only flower can enter as a starting material. The GMP step is then deferred to an Australian GMP manufacturer.
- If the GMP step happens overseas, the site needs TGA GMP clearance. A GMP certificate from just any jurisdiction is not enough. The TGA accepts GMP evidence only from regulators it has assessed as equivalent (through PIC/S or mutual-recognition arrangements). Otherwise it inspects the site itself (source: TGA, international agreements and GMP clearance).
In practice your buyer is the Australian manufacturer, and its specification for incoming material is the real gate.
Biosecurity is a separate approval. It comes from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, through the BICON import conditions for Cannabis spp. plant material. Read the current conditions in BICON yourself before shipping. A consignment that has every therapeutic-goods approval can still be held at the border.
Thai volumes:
| Year | Thai flower into Australia | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 11 kg | ODC data reported by StratCann |
| 2024 | 1,093 kg | same |
| 2025 | about 20,658 kg | reported by International CBC and Cannamonitor, citing ODC data |
The 2025 figure is roughly a quarter of total imports of about 81 tonnes. Only Canada supplied more, at about 49.1 tonnes. ODC’s own 2025 table was not checked directly.
2. Germany: the largest market, and the strictest form of the GMP rule
Permissions. Four separate permissions apply (source: Chambers Medical Cannabis 2026, Germany; BfArM import guidance):
- a §4 MedCanG licence from BfArM
- a separate BfArM import permit for every consignment
- an import licence under §72 of the Medicines Act (AMG) from the state authority
- for third-country material, a §72a AMG certificate. This is a GMP certificate from the origin country’s authority confirming GMP equivalent to EU standards, with regular inspections that include unannounced ones.
Under EU rules, narcotics do not move freely between member states. Landing flower in another EU state does not give access to Germany. Each consignment still needs its own German permit.
Where the GMP step must happen. BfArM guidance requires a valid GMP certificate to cover the drying step. At least one state inspectorate (Hesse) does not accept pre-drying at the grower’s site as a GACP activity (reported by ECA Academy citing BfArM: GMP vs GACP: BfArM makes some clarifications; Can cannabis flowers be pre-dried in accordance with GACP?).
Some commentators read this as pushing EU-GMP back onto the farm. That is their interpretation, not regulator text. Some points remain unclear:
- No regulator text found says which EU-GMP part or annex applies to flower dispensed by pharmacies (Part I, Part II or Annex 7).
- Classification as an active substance rather than a finished product is reported to vary between German state authorities.
The EU processing route. A route described in consultancy and cultivator commentary, though not in regulator text, works like this:
- Biomass ships to an EU-GMP processor inside the EU. Portugal is the country most often named.
- A Qualified Person releases the batch against the European Pharmacopoeia Cannabis flower monograph (3028, in force since 1 July 2024).
- The flower then enters Germany as an EU-manufactured product.
Whether a farm needs EU-GMP therefore depends on where its post-harvest steps happen and what the importer or processor requires. Ask the processor first.
EU-level points for Thai material:
- Thailand is not on the European Commission’s Article 111b list (Implementing Decision 2012/715/EU, as amended). That list currently covers Switzerland, Australia, Japan, the United States, Israel, Brazil and the Republic of Korea. Where material counts as an active substance, an exporter from an unlisted country needs a written confirmation from its own regulator. Whether this applies to flower for pharmacy preparation has not been resolved.
- Thailand joined PIC/S on 1 August 2016. PIC/S is cooperation between inspectorates, not automatic mutual recognition.
Volume and the ceiling. All figures below are reported by trade press citing BfArM. No direct BfArM link was found.
- 2025: 201,094 kg, up from roughly 73 tonnes in 2024. Canada supplied 93,006 kg and Portugal 55,164 kg (reported by StratCann).
- Q1 2026: 67,569 kg, revised in August 2026 from 50,539 kg. Canada supplied 26,753 kg and Portugal 10,342 kg (reported by StratCann).
- The ceiling: Germany’s 2025 import quota of 122 tonnes is registered with the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). It was used up in September 2025 and import approvals were paused. BfArM then obtained an increase to about 192.5 tonnes, and approvals resumed around 20 October 2025 (reported by Business of Cannabis and StratCann).
Is Thailand an accepted origin? A 2026 practice guide (Chambers) lists 17 jurisdictions Germany has approved imports from: Australia, Denmark, Israel, Jamaica, Canada, Colombia, Lesotho, Malta, New Zealand, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Uganda and Uruguay. Thailand is not on the list. It is not clear whether the list is complete or simply describes past trade. One trade source reports roughly 0.1 tonnes of Thai material into Germany in 2025 but does not cite BfArM. No Thai facility was identified as holding EU-GMP certification. Consultancy estimates put the certification path at around twelve months.
3. Israel: the sharpest constraint, on a rule last confirmed in 2020
Permissions. Importing requires:
- an import permit from the Ministry of Health’s Medical Cannabis Unit
- IMC-GMP, IMC-GDP and IMC-GSP licences (Israel’s own GMP, distribution and security standards)
- a responsible pharmacist overseeing importation
The quality document is SOP 152, built on European Pharmacopoeia standards (reported by GSAP, an Israeli regulatory consultancy).
Where the GMP step must happen. Cultivation requires GACP. Post-harvest facilities must meet EU-GMP if they are abroad, or IMC-GMP if processing is done in Israel. This rule was last confirmed in 2020 (source: MJBizDaily, September 2020). Whether it still stands in the current SOP 152 was not confirmed from Ministry text. If it does, the GMP step cannot be deferred to the importing country unless processing moves to Israel. A December 2025 reform is reported in secondary sources but was not checked against Ministry text.
Scale. Industry analysis citing Ministry figures puts Canada at close to 80% of imports in 2024. Documented origins include Canada, Portugal, South Africa, Lesotho and Colombia. No evidence of Thai-origin material was found.
4. United Kingdom: three permissions, small market
Permissions. The UK requires three separate permissions:
- a Home Office Schedule 2 licence, plus an import licence for each consignment, valid for three months
- an MHRA Manufacturer’s (Specials) Licence where the source is a third country
- notice to MHRA at least 28 days before import. MHRA can object within that window.
Where the GMP step must happen. A valid GMP certificate is needed for the overseas manufacturing site. Products must meet pharmacopoeial standards and have certificates of analysis for every batch (source: MHRA specials guidance, as summarised by ECA Academy). So the UK accepts a GMP step at origin, but it must be certified.
Scale. Roughly 50,000 to 100,000 patients in early 2026 (reported by Chambers 2026, UK). No reliable import figure in kilograms was found.
Border context. From 1 October 2025 to 30 June 2026 (year to date, not the full fiscal year), Thai Customs recorded 3,309 cannabis smuggling cases. Of these, 2,133 were bound for the UK, involving nearly 14,000 kg (source: Royal Thai Government, Thailand–UK cooperation announcement, 2026). These are courier cases, not commercial shipments. They are, however, a reason for a legitimate exporter to expect close checks on Thai-origin paperwork.
5. Switzerland: least documented
Permissions. A Swissmedic establishment licence covering cultivation, manufacture, storage, distribution, import and export, valid for five years, plus narcotics import authorisations. Since 1 August 2022, individual exceptional permits are no longer required (source: Swissmedic cannabis pages; Chambers 2026, Switzerland).
Where the GMP step must happen. Imported medical cannabis is stated to comply with GMP enforced through Swissmedic inspection. No source consulted establishes whether GACP-only material is acceptable or whether the narcotics authorisation is issued per shipment.
Scale. Patient numbers are modest. Sources conflict on the split between extracts and flower. No reliable import volume figure and no Thai-origin shipments were found.
6. The Thai side of every shipment
The destination’s rules are only half the chain.
- Thai law. In Thailand, flower is a controlled herb under the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis) B.E. 2568. Flower that is sold or exported must come from a GACP-certified cultivation site.
- Export licence. The exporter needs a Thai export licence for the controlled herb. Licensing was tightened by Ministerial Regulation (No. 2) B.E. 2569, in force since 30 April 2026.
- Paired authorisations. Cannabis remains a Schedule I drug under the 1961 Single Convention, so two documents travel together for each consignment: the destination’s import authorisation and a matching export authorisation on the Thai side (Article 31).
- Coming changes. The Cannabis Control Act is still a draft. The Cabinet approved it on 22 September 2026 and sent it to the House, and it may change this framework.
The licence chain is covered step by step in forum topic 1319.
7. The comparison in one table
| Importer’s permissions | GACP-only flower to patients | Where the GMP step must physically happen | Thai flower reported landing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | ODC licence + per-consignment permit; separate biosecurity (BICON) | No — but yes as starting material | GMP site with TGA GMP clearance; or deferred to an Australian GMP manufacturer | Yes — about 20.7 t in 2025 (reported) |
| Germany | §4 MedCanG + per-consignment BfArM permit + AMG §72/72a | No | EU-GMP from drying onward (BfArM guidance as reported); in practice often at an EU processor with QP release | Not on the practice-guide origin list; one weak trade claim |
| Israel | MoH import permit + IMC-GMP/GDP/GSP | No | EU-GMP at post-harvest abroad, or IMC-GMP in Israel (last confirmed 2020) | No evidence |
| UK | Home Office licence + per-consignment import licence + MHRA Specials licence + 28-day notice | No | Certified GMP at the overseas site | No evidence |
| Switzerland | Swissmedic establishment licence + narcotics authorisation | Unclear | Not established | No evidence |
8. Reading the table honestly
The picture is narrow:
- Direct GACP-only flower to patients: not lawful in four of the five markets. For Switzerland it is unclear.
- Australia: GACP flower enters as a starting material, the GMP step is deferred to an Australian manufacturer, and Thai material is reported as the second-largest source.
- Germany and the wider EU: processing at an EU-GMP facility inside the EU is the route most often described. That description comes from commercial commentary, not regulators.
Everything else is a market where the rules in theory allow import but no Thai consignment has been documented. That does not prove it cannot be done. It does mean any such plan should be treated as a first-of-its-kind project, with first-of-its-kind cost and timeline, not as a repeat of the Australian trade.
Is anyone here shipping into Australia? What did the Australian manufacturer require beyond GACP? The starting-material exemption is clear in the regulation. What is not public is what a receiving GMP manufacturer actually demands in its contract: testing, retained samples, audit rights and batch documentation. That would be the most useful thing to add to this thread.
Related reading: forum topic 1319 (the export pathway from a Thai farm to a regulated overseas market) and topic 1359 (EU-GMP for medical cannabis).
This article is reference information for readers operating legally in their own jurisdictions. It is not legal, regulatory or investment advice. Most figures come from trade press or consultancy reports citing regulator data, not from the regulators directly. Where no reliable figure exists, this article says so instead of estimating. Disclosure: we at BioSphere Solutions advise on GACP and GMP. No certification is claimed here for any named company. Check every requirement with the destination’s competent authority and with the Thai licensing authority before committing to a market.