Thailand Cannabis Laws 2026
The Complete Reference

The 2026 Rules in One Table

Cannabis Is a Controlled Herb — Not Banned

Cannabis flower is a controlled herb in Thailand, not an unrestricted retail product. Since June 2025, lawful dispensing is tied to medical use and a prescription from an authorised practitioner. Possession and use remain subject to the prescription, the medically necessary quantity, premises rules, nuisance law, and other current restrictions.

What the controlled-herb framework means in practice:

Sales: cannabis flower is legal to sell only at licensed dispensaries, only with a PT33 prescription on file for each customer. Since 30 April 2026, new and renewed shop licences must also be anchored to a qualifying medical, pharmacy, herbal-product or similar credential (details below).

Possession: keep the product with its supporting prescription and stay within the medically necessary amount, which the current framework limits to no more than a 30-day supply.

Consumption: public smoking that causes a nuisance is prohibited. Private-property permission does not override medical, public-health, building, hotel, or nuisance rules.

Cultivation: restricted compared to 2022–2024; commercial growers need licensing.

Full guide: Is weed getting banned again in Thailand? (2026 status)

Who Can Buy, and the PT33 Prescription

To legally buy cannabis flower in Thailand in 2026 you need two things: to be 20 or older with a valid ID or passport, and a PT33 prescription issued by a licensed practitioner. The PT33 requirement has applied to all flower purchases since June 2025 — it's the gate every legal flower sale passes through.

A PT33 is not an automatic formality. Stash BKK can facilitate an on-site telemedicine assessment, typically 10–15 minutes and 100 THB, subject to practitioner availability. The practitioner decides whether to prescribe.

A PT33 may cover no more than a 30-day medically necessary supply. Follow the issuing practitioner's dates, dosage, quantity, and dispensing instructions.

Buying without a prescription is only possible outside the legal framework — from unlicensed sellers who can't issue one, which carries real legal risk and gives you no documentation or quality information.

Full guide: How to get a cannabis prescription in Thailand (PT33)

What Changed for Shops in 2026

Since this page was first published, three regulatory events reshaped who may sell cannabis flower in Thailand and what happens to a seller that breaks the rules. None of them changed the buyer-side basics — 20+, ID, PT33 — but together they explain why there are far fewer shops than in 2024. Everything below is as of 13 September 2026; the fuller narrative is in Thailand's cannabis situation in 2026.

Ministerial Regulation No. 2 B.E. 2569 on controlled herbs — effective 30 April 2026

The single biggest change of the year. Under the regulation published and in force on 30 April 2026, a new application to sell cannabis flower is entertained only when the premises already hold an anchor credential: a hospital or clinic licence, a pharmacy or drug licence, a registered herbal-product licence, a cannabis-extract licence, certified folk-healer status, or a certified cultivation site. A shop that is nothing but a retail counter no longer fits the licence model.

Renewals must meet the same criteria plus dedicated secure storage, odour control and trained staff present throughout opening hours. Licences issued under the older 2020–2021 rules remain valid only until their own expiry, with 31 December 2026 widely reported as the cut-off for old-framework paperwork. Thousands of shops closed across the 2025–2026 renewal cycle; only a minority of expiring licences were renewed.

Extract regulation — effective 26 April 2026

A separate regulation on cannabis and hemp extracts took effect on 26 April 2026, restricting high-THC extracts to a short list of permitted purposes and licence holders. It does not change the rules for flower, but it is one more reason hash, rosin and other concentrates sit outside what a retail dispensary can lawfully sell.

DTAM enforcement guidelines — 22 June 2026

On 22 June 2026 DTAM published graduated enforcement guidelines for licensed sellers. Suspensions apply to record-keeping, licence-display and advertising failures, with longer suspensions for dispensing without a prescription. Revocation applies to the serious categories: selling to anyone under 20, selling online or by vending machine, and allowing cannabis smoking on the premises. Repeat breaches escalate, and a suspension on record counts against the shop at its next renewal. See also the penalties section.

Draft Cannabis and Hemp Act — not passed as of September 2026

Despite headlines claiming Thailand "passed a new cannabis law", it has not. The draft Cannabis and Hemp Act went to public consultation from 22 April to 21 May 2026, cleared only a first reading, and missed the mid-year parliamentary session. A rival, stricter bill was filed in July 2026, and nothing is expected before early 2027. Until an Act passes, the June 2025 controlled-herb notification plus the two 2026 ministerial regulations remain the operating law, and every other section of this page is written against them.

What it means for a buyer: a shopfront is not a licence. Look for the licence display and the prescription step, and treat a shop that skips either as one that may not be licensed at all.

Full guide: Thailand's cannabis situation in 2026 — what actually changed this year

Where You Can and Cannot Consume

Do not rely on a simple “private is legal, public is illegal” slogan. Smoking can still breach medical, nuisance, hotel, lease, building, or premises rules, and a retail dispensary licence alone does not authorise on-site smoking.

Private property is still subject to rules

Your hotel or accommodation — follow the property's smoking policy, lease or host rules, building rules, prescription, and nuisance law. Many Bangkok hotels prohibit smoking of any kind and impose cleaning charges.

A private residence — permission from the owner or host is necessary, but smoke must not create a nuisance and building rules still apply.

Dispensaries — do not assume a customer lounge is a smoking room. Current DTAM guidance describes a narrow medical-facility exception involving a dedicated separate room for medical purposes. Ask the premises directly and do not consume unless the location confirms that it is specifically authorised.

Illegal — public spaces

Streets and sidewalks, public parks, beaches, BTS/MRT stations and trains, taxis and tuk-tuks, hotel lobbies and pool decks, shopping malls, markets, airports, and government buildings are not appropriate places to smoke. A relaxed venue or an ordinary retail dispensary licence is not legal cover.

Penalties for public consumption

Fines up to 25,000 THB (about 700 USD as of 2026) and/or up to 3 months imprisonment in serious cases. For tourists this usually means a fine and confiscation rather than jail, but it depends on circumstances. Driving under the influence is treated as DUI, with serious consequences.

Full guides: Can you still smoke weed in Thailand in 2026? and where to smoke in Bangkok (private spots)

What's Legal to Sell: Flower, Edibles, CBD — Not Vapes

Flower and pre-rolls

Controlled cannabis flower may be dispensed through licensed shops when the applicable medical and retail requirements are met and an authorised practitioner has issued a PT33. Ask to see the exact product label, available COA, and supporting records in-store.

Edibles

Legality is product-specific. Verify the exact product's registration, formulation, label, THC content, manufacturer, and prescription requirements. Stash BKK's only edible is the specific Thai FDA-approved Baked Brand cookie product labelled 1.6 mg THC. We do not sell other edibles; approval is product-specific and does not extend to the entire Baked Brand range.

CBD

Products under 0.2% THC sit in a lighter regulatory framework than flower.

Vapes — illegal

Vapes and e-cigarettes are prohibited in Thailand. Stash BKK does not sell vapes, hash, rosin or concentrates, and it does not deliver any product. Its only edible is the specific Thai FDA-approved Baked Brand cookie product labelled 1.6 mg THC. Do not infer that another product is lawful merely because it is sold in a dispensary; product-specific records still matter.

Full guide: Cannabis edibles in Bangkok — what's legal

Delivery Is Not Permitted

Stash BKK does not deliver any product; every transaction is walk-in only. The compliant route we use is an in-person visit to a licensed shop, with any required PT33 issued only after an authorised practitioner's assessment. Do not assume that an advertised delivery service satisfies the current medical, prescription, identity, dispensing, or premises requirements.

Full guide: Weed delivery in Bangkok — why it's not actually allowed

Import and Export Are Strictly Illegal

Do not move cannabis across an international border, in either direction. Exporting cannabis without explicit government permission is illegal — flower, edibles, seeds, or any part of the plant, including cannabis-derived CBD products — regardless of where you bought it or how small the amount. Your destination country's import laws apply on top, and many still treat any amount as a criminal offence. Mailing it home is still exporting it.

The same applies in reverse: importing cannabis into Thailand without a permit is illegal, even from countries where you bought it legally. There's no reason to — the legal market is on the other side of customs.

Domestic travel within Thailand is different: cannabis is legal nationwide, and small personal amounts bought legally haven't been a domestic enforcement focus. Airline and airport policies vary, though — the zero-friction option is to buy again at your destination.

Full guide: Bringing cannabis in or out of Thailand

Kratom: Legal Under Its Own Separate Law

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is legal in Thailand — but under a completely separate framework from cannabis. It was legalised in 2021 after decades of prohibition and is regulated under the Kratom Plant Act B.E. 2565. No PT33 prescription is required: kratom is sold directly at licensed shops to adults 20 and older. It is not THC and not CBD, and nothing in the cannabis framework applies to it.

Full guide: Kratom in Bangkok — legality and where to buy

Tourists: Same Rules as Everyone Else

There is no separate tourist shortcut. Visitors are subject to the same age, identification, medical-assessment, prescription, and dispensing requirements. A shop may facilitate a telemedicine assessment, but the authorised practitioner may request medical information, decline to prescribe, or determine a different course.

Foreign medical cannabis cards are not valid in Thailand. Thailand only recognises prescriptions issued under its own PT33 framework by licensed Thai practitioners — you'll need a Thai prescription regardless of what you hold at home.

And the rules that catch tourists most often: consume in private only, and never attempt to fly home with anything you bought here.

Full guide: Can tourists still get weed in Thailand? (2026)

Penalties: What Breaking the Rules Actually Costs

Inside Thailand

Cannabis flower is a controlled herb under the Thai Traditional Medicine framework, and the penalties sit on the seller: selling outside the prescription rules carries up to 1 year imprisonment or a 20,000 THB fine, with steeper penalties proposed. On the buyer side, the framework only protects purchases made through it — a legal purchase requires a PT33 on file, and buying without one means operating outside the framework, with real legal exposure and no documentation if anything goes wrong. Public consumption carries its own penalty, covered in the consumption section above: up to 25,000 THB and up to 3 months.

Licensed sellers — since 22 June 2026

DTAM's graduated enforcement guidelines, published on 22 June 2026, set written penalties for licence holders: suspensions for record-keeping, licence-display and advertising failures, longer suspensions for dispensing without a prescription, and revocation for selling to anyone under 20, selling online or by vending machine, or allowing cannabis smoking on the premises. Repeat breaches escalate, and a suspension on record counts against the shop at its next renewal. Details in the 2026 licensing section.

At the border — and beyond

Exporting cannabis without a permit is illegal, and since 17 June 2026 the Thai side has hard numbers: forfeiture of the goods plus a 30,000 THB fine per kilogram, with exposure under the Customs Act of up to 10 years' imprisonment and/or fines up to four times the value of the goods. Enforcement is not theoretical — joint Thai-UK operations (Operation Chaophraya) have run since 2024, airport screening has been stepped up, and between October 2025 and June 2026 authorities logged 3,309 smuggling cases and seized over 37 tonnes.

If you make it out — you probably won't — the destination country takes over:

• UK: importation of a Class B drug — up to 14 years and/or an unlimited fine. Couriers caught arriving by air went from 142 in 2023 to 976 in 2025.
• Singapore: importing over 500 g of cannabis is punishable by death; 330–500 g means 20–30 years or life plus caning. A man was executed in April 2026 for importing roughly 1 kg.
• Malaysia: trafficking is punishable by death (discretionary since 2023) or life imprisonment plus caning; 200 g or more creates a presumption of trafficking.
• Indonesia: up to life imprisonment or the death penalty for trafficking; foreigners are on death row for cannabis offences.
• Japan: importation carries up to 7 years, or 10 if for profit.
• UAE: trafficking carries 10 years to life, with the death penalty available in aggravated cases.

Full guide: Don't smuggle weed out of Thailand — the full picture

Rule Changes Since 2022

1. June 2022

   Thailand becomes the first Southeast Asian country to decriminalise cannabis, removing it from the Category 5 narcotics schedule. The open dispensary era begins.

2. 2022 – 2024

   Dispensaries open across Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket under a "recreational by default" market. The regulatory framework lags behind reality.

3. Mid-2025

   A political shift brings public debate on full re-criminalisation versus a medical-only framework. Full re-criminalisation is rejected; a prescription-based compromise is chosen instead.

4. 27 June 2025

   Cannabis flower is reclassified as a controlled herb under Traditional Thai Medicine. The PT33 prescription requirement begins for flower purchases. Licensed dispensaries continue operating under the new rules.

5. 22 April – 21 May 2026

   Public consultation on the draft Cannabis and Hemp Act. The bill later clears only a first reading; see the September 2026 entry below.

6. 26 April 2026

   A separate ministerial regulation on cannabis and hemp extracts takes effect, restricting high-THC extracts to a short list of permitted purposes and licence holders.

7. 30 April 2026

   Ministerial Regulation No. 2 B.E. 2569 on controlled herbs takes effect. New flower-sale licences require an anchor credential (hospital or clinic, pharmacy or drug licence, registered herbal-product licence, extract licence, certified folk healer, or certified cultivation site); renewals add secure storage, odour control and trained staff on shift. Old 2020–2021 licences run only to expiry, with 31 December 2026 widely reported as the cut-off.

8. 17 June 2026

   Customs penalties for attempted export are published: forfeiture plus a 30,000 THB fine per kilogram, with Customs Act exposure of up to 10 years.

9. 22 June 2026

   DTAM publishes graduated enforcement guidelines for licensed sellers: suspensions for record-keeping and advertising failures, revocation for under-20 sales, online sales, or on-site smoking.

10. July 2026

    The draft Cannabis and Hemp Act misses the mid-year parliamentary session; a rival, stricter bill is filed.

11. September 2026 (current)

    Thousands of shops have closed across the 2025–2026 renewal cycle and only a minority of expiring licences were renewed. No Cannabis Act has passed and nothing is expected before early 2027; the June 2025 controlled-herb notification and the two 2026 ministerial regulations remain the operating law. Rules and enforcement can still change — check current DTAM and Ministry of Public Health notices rather than treating this page as permanent legal advice.

Stash BKK — Licensed, Compliant, Three Locations

This reference is maintained by Stash BKK, which operates three shops under its current DTAM-issued retail licences while preparing for any conversion the 2026 rules may require — On Nut, Ari, and Ekkamai, all open 24 hours. The former Chinatown location closed permanently on 1 September 2026. Stash BKK can facilitate an on-site telemedicine assessment, typically 10–15 minutes and 100 THB, subject to practitioner availability. The practitioner decides whether to prescribe. Exact product labels, COAs, and supporting records are available in-store where required. We do not sell vapes, hash, rosin or concentrates, and we do not deliver any product. Our only edible is the specific Thai FDA-approved Baked Brand cookie product labelled 1.6 mg THC. Customers must be 20+ with ID or passport.

Thailand Cannabis Law FAQ