Business As Usual?

[short-Timer]

There’s a small cannabis shop in my quiet soi that doesn’t seem to get much foot traffic, but it’s always open in the evenings, usually until around midnight. Last night, for the first time since it opened up about eight or ten months ago, it was closed. At first I assumed they were just taking a night off, but then I remembered the new laws went into effect yesterday, which might explain it.

 

I’m curious how shops in the main tourist areas are responding to the changes. Have any of the big and expensive cannabis stores around Sukhumvit, like in Nana, Asoke, Soi 11, etc, shut down, or are they still operating as usual?
 

I assume at some point they’ll all set up systems to provide medical slips for tourists, but that takes time to implement. In the meantime, are they still selling like normal I wonder? And has the usual smell of cannabis in the air around those streets changed at all?

 

If anyone’s been through those areas in the last 24-48 hours and noticed anything different, I’d be interested to hear.

[KannikaP]

Is it still now only allowed if below 0.02 or is it 0.2% THC or CBD. No-one seems to know.

[RSD1]

I think from here on out we’re going to see business continue as usual, but with an even greater shift toward online sales as the industry moves back underground. High-rent retail shops catering to tourists will likely start closing, but online sales will carry on, probably without requiring any medical certificates. Many sellers already use services like Flash or the Thai postal service for delivery, though I suspect we’ll see a move toward private courier companies instead, as a way to minimize any legal exposure from online sales.

 

The shop I buy from can deliver anywhere in Bangkok within a couple of hours using Grab or LaLaMove. I don’t think local delivery through motorcycle messengers like this will ever become an issue, since the packages are picked up and dropped off quickly within about an hour and without ever passing through a facility where inspections can take place.

 

Of course, there will eventually be some effort by the government to enforce the new laws and carry out inspections, but that will likely focus on retail shops. Even then, enforcement is going to be a major challenge. How many shops can they realistically visit to inspect to see if they are really checking customers for medical certificates? There are over 10,000 retail shops and only 365 days in a year.

[RSD1]

I went out and did a quick and dirty late-night recce around Sukhumvit, and it’s definitely low-season, but the weed scene is still rolling like nothing changed with the law yet. Every shop I passed around Soi 4, Soi 11, you name it, was wide open for business. The scent of weed out on the street also wafted by here and there. Plenty of street stalls were hawking their weed-wares right on the main drag near Soi 7. Maybe one rented shop close to Soi 5 looked like it had shuttered, but I believe that happened before the law changed a day ago. Hard to say if this is the calm before the storm that will shut down thousands of weed shops or if it will roll on like it is now with business as usual.

[Jeff the Chef]

I have a mate in Pattaya who has a shop with his wife, was talking to her yesterday and they have been closed for 3 days along with loads of others, worried about police checks, she says no one knows what the score is.

[quake]

3 hours ago, Jeff the Chef said:

I have a mate in Pattaya who has a shop with his wife, was talking to her yesterday and they have been closed for 3 days along with loads of others, worried about police checks, she says no one knows what the score is.

 

Plenty were still open last night in Jomtien.

You can't walk more than a 100 yards with out smelling pot on beach road Jomtien at night.

I like the smell. 

 

[bamnutsak]

I think a lot of shops have closed, if only for a few days while owners grapple with new regulations. An opinion based on social media posts.

 

Sale of cannabis is said to be illegal without prescription.

 

Police are shutting down some stores they "inspect" for failures to adhere to old/existing regulations (record keeping, tax, etc.).

 

I think it will take a while to get the "Medical Cannabis" procedures in place. They seem to have cobbled together a prescription form which lists ailments treatable with medical cannabis. Not sure if "Other" is listed? Asthma is, but that seems medically criminal to allow someone with asthma to smoke cannabis.

 

 

 The situation could change again, this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Real Name Hidden]

I stopped in Nana Plaza last night, the dispensary at the entrance to the plaza was temporarily closed, as was the cannabis smoking area.  Waitress said it will be closed for 3 days until they can figure out what's happening.  

[SMIAI]

It's shocking to read, three years later, that adults are still spouting nonsense with regard to 0.2%. Actual adults still not getting it after three years.

 

0.2% refers to EXTRACTS, not plants/flowers. The plants/flowers have no such restriction. How is it possible.....?

[RocketDog]

5 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

I think a lot of shops have closed, if only for a few days while owners grapple with new regulations. An opinion based on social media posts.

 

Sale of cannabis is said to be illegal without prescription.

 

Police are shutting down some stores they "inspect" for failures to adhere to old/existing regulations (record keeping, tax, etc.).

 

I think it will take a while to get the "Medical Cannabis" procedures in place. They seem to have cobbled together a prescription form which lists ailments treatable with medical cannabis. Not sure if "Other" is listed? Asthma is, but that seems medically criminal to allow someone with asthma to smoke cannabis.

 

 

 The situation could change again, this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Google picture translate for what its worth.2:19

 

LTE

 

57%

 

12

 

le can read this and give a

 

Practitioners of Chinese medicine under the law on the practice of medicine and practitioners of dentistry under the law on the practice of dentistry who use it to treat their patients

 

(6) It is prohibited to sell controlled herbs or products processed from controlled herbs for trade through vending machines, electronic channels or computer networks.

 

(2) It is prohibited to advertise controlled herbs in all channels for trade.

 

(4) It is prohibited to sell controlled herbs or products processed from controlled herbs for trade in the following places:

 

(a) Temples or places for religious ceremonies

 

(b) Dormitories under the law on dormitories

 

(c) Public parks, zoos and amusement parks

 

The sale of controlled herbs for trade according to paragraph one (3) does not include the sale of controlled herbs to any person who has a prescription from a practitioner of medicine under the law on medicine, practitioners of Thai traditional medicine, practitioners of applied Thai traditional medicine and folk doctors under the law on Thai traditional medicine, practitioners of Chinese medicine under the law on the practice of medicine Pharmacists under the Pharmacy Profession Act and dentists under the Dental Profession Act for medical benefits

 

The dispensing order under paragraph two shall specify the amount or quantity of use as necessary for specific treatment, which shall not exceed thirty days.

 

Section 5 The licensee under Section 46) prior to the effective date of this announcement, specifically for the part that is controlled herbs under this announcement, shall comply with the conditions specified in Section 3 of this announcement.

 

Section 4 The reporting form, the form for reporting details of the export of controlled herbs per time, and the dispensing order form shall be in accordance with the form announced by the Director-General.

 

Announced on 23 June 2021

 

(Mr. Somsak Thepsuthin) Minister of Public Health

[digger70]

20 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Is it still now only allowed if below 0.02 or is it 0.2% THC or CBD. No-one seems to know.

Yea, like anyone cares. 😇

[BritManToo]

Provincial Health Authority just announced (notification passed to me at 14:54).

1. Trading to continue as normal for the next 2 months.

2. No smoking in the shops.

3. No medical cert required (until we've sorted the forms out)

4. No advertising cannabis at all.

 

So essentially a big nothing burger, and the can kicked down the road.

Shops will be open again this evening.

[RSD1]

I just learned that the shop I usually buy from was closed yesterday, but then they sent a text this morning saying they’ll be open for business today as usual. However, in their message, they stated that customers won’t be allowed to smoke in the shop like before. Normally, you can sample any of their strains right there in the store before buying, but that’s off the table now, I guess.

 

They also included a screenshot of a LINE chat that a vendor had with their local district public health office. As far as I know, the new regulations have already been published in the Royal Gazette, so it seems the information in the chat might already be outdated.
 

Here’s an English translation of the short chat exchange they shared with me (note that there’s no date or time shown on the chat, so it’s unclear exactly when it took place). Chat translation:

Provincial Public Health Office: Hi

 

Vendor: Hello, I would like to ask about the measures for cannabis shops. Are they still allowed to open for business as usual?

 

PPHO: The shop can still open because we have to wait for the announcement in the Royal Gazette first.

 

Vendor: Thank you

 

PPHO: If there is any further announcement, the vendor will be notified.

 

Vendor: The buyer does not need a prescription from a doctor, is that correct?

 

PPHO: Now you can still do it as before.

 

Vendor: Thank you

 

[RSD1]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3058697/thai-cannabis-industry-thrown-into-chaos-as-government-aims-to-recriminalise-weed

 

Thai cannabis industry thrown into chaos

 

New rules are political revenge and public will pay, says vendor in Khaosan

 

PUBLISHED : 26 Jun 2025 at 17:26

WRITER: Bloomberg News

 

Three years after becoming the first Asian nation to decriminalise cannabis, Thailand is poised to reverse course amid political turmoil and now requires a prescription to buy cannabis at any of the 10,000-18,000 dispensaries that have sprung up since 2022. 

 

The new rules have thrown the fledgling industry into chaos and sparked criticism from pro-cannabis activists, who championed liberalisation as a way to boost Thailand’s wellness and tourism sectors. Dispensaries must now sell only cannabis produced by farms that have obtained the “Good Agricultural and Collection Practices” certifications issued by the government, and amounts are capped at a 30-day supply per customer. 

 

The latest regulations, which went into effect Thursday, followed a pledge by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s ruling Pheu Thai Party to toughen the country’s drug policy and limit the use of cannabis for only medical purposes. That promise came just days after the second-largest bloc in the government coalition, the pro-weed Bhumjaithai Party, left to join the opposition after a dispute over a cabinet seat. 

 

Compliance costs will put further strain on dispensaries, which have already been struggling with high competition and fewer-than-expected foreign tourists the past year, said Rattapon Sanrak, owner of Highland Cafe, a dispensary in Bangkok’s backpacker-heavy Khaosan district.

 

“These moves are political revenge, but it’s the public who’ll pay,” Mr Rattapon said. “The majority of farms in the country are not yet certified by the government. And the products that don’t comply with the regulations that are in the pipeline will have nowhere to go but underground.”

 

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said earlier this week that the government plans to put cannabis back on the country’s list of illegal narcotics — it is currently classified as a “controlled herb.” And over the next several weeks, new rules will be drafted to require every dispensary to have a doctor on site as part of licensing criteria, he said. 

 

Many businesses said they were blindsided by the abrupt rollout of the new rules, which were published on Wednesday night with no grace period. Numerous enterprises shut their doors on Thursday while they decided next steps. Some entrepreneurs said they are mulling a class-action lawsuit to at least delay the new requirements. 

 

An advocacy group named Writing Thailand’s Cannabis Future urged people to protest at the Public Health Ministry on July 7. The group said the new regulations will not halt the recreational use of weed, but lead to the sales of fake medical prescriptions. 

 

“A medical certificate can absolutely be bought,” said Prasitchai Nunual, the group’s secretary-general. “Permission slips given by so-called established experts will lead to corruption and prescriptions that don’t reflect any medical reality.” 

 

The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) estimated the domestic cannabis industry at 28 billion baht (US$865 million) in 2022 after decriminalisation went into effect, adding that it had potential to reach 43 billion baht in 2025.