Thailand's Cabinet has approved a draft Cannabis Control Act that would place tighter controls on cultivation, sales and medical prescribing. The proposal must now go before the House of Representatives.
Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat announced the Cabinet decision at Government House on 22 September 2026, saying cannabis is to be used for medical purposes only.
The draft would introduce more clearly defined and tougher penalties than those under the legislation currently in force, he said.
Registered cultivation and medical sales
Under the proposed law, cannabis growers would have to register their cultivation sites as small, medium or large plots. The system is intended to allow authorities to trace where cannabis is grown, oversee quality, and monitor material used for extracts or cannabis flowers.
Pattana said existing cannabis shops operating under their current licences will see those licences expire progressively between 2026 and 2028. The licences are valid for three years.
Once a licence expires, a shop that is not already a medical establishment would have to convert into one in order to renew. It would need a resident doctor under the new rules, while medicine would have to be prescribed using a prescription signed by a doctor.
Tourist areas face closer checks
Pattana said an application is already linked to records showing the locations of cannabis shops and cultivation sites. More than 10,000 locations had been entered into the system when he checked the data that morning.
He said he believed the records now cover more than 95% of the sector, allowing people to check whether a cannabis shop is legally registered. A shop not included in the system should be assumed to be illegal, he said.
Authorities will deploy more teams to inspect currently operating shops, with particular attention to tourist cities and other major urban centres. This could be especially relevant in areas popular with overseas visitors, where cannabis outlets have become highly visible.
The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine will later give detailed briefings on the controls and inspections of cannabis retailers. Pattana said he was confident there were sufficient personnel to carry out inspections.
Picture courtesy of Amarin
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23 September 2026
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