Report Thailand Tightens Alcohol Sales: New Rules Take Effect

[KannikaP]

Even Heineken 0% is banned. How silly.

[thjames007]

On 6/27/2025 at 4:11 PM, ikke1959 said:

Thailand controls everyone everywhere..They decide what is good for you and what you can do or not.. Why not introduce self responsibility in the country?? Alcohol can be bought at the age of 20 yrs and with doubt an id.....Bartenders should stop servicing drunk people as in many countries is be done... and the judges should give real punishment and fines for those who are drunk behind the wheel or motorcycle.... instead of claiming  they are poor so 300 THB is already a lot for them or other excuses

I'd love to know what country you come from, where there are no rules around drinking and its up to "self responsibility".      In other countries (as you point out) they don't serve them if they drunk... doesn't work!   All it does is shift some liability to bars after the fact.   (and who decides if someone is drunk (ie over the limit) ! Very impractical in thailand!!  As I'm sure you would agree, with a bit of common sense) ) 

 

DuI laws need to get tougher. But that ain't going to happen if you can buy your way out and Thais and foreigners treated differently. 

[ikke1959]

1 hour ago, thjames007 said:

I'd love to know what country you come from, where there are no rules around drinking and its up to "self responsibility".      In other countries (as you point out) they don't serve them if they drunk... doesn't work!   All it does is shift some liability to bars after the fact.   (and who decides if someone is drunk (ie over the limit) ! Very impractical in thailand!!  As I'm sure you would agree, with a bit of common sense) ) 

 

DuI laws need to get tougher. But that ain't going to happen if you can buy your way out and Thais and foreigners treated differently. 

I am from the Netherlands, and of course there are some rules, but not as in Thailand with limited selling/buying hours and holidays... but there is also a policeforce and justice system that will let you pay if you are drunk, so that you will hopefully think twice to do it again, and yes in bars drinks are refused if you are too drunk....But that is a free country with education in self responsibility...

[KhunLA]

On 6/27/2025 at 4:11 PM, ikke1959 said:

Thailand controls everyone everywhere..They decide what is good for you and what you can do or not.. Why not introduce self responsibility in the country?? Alcohol can be bought at the age of 20 yrs and with doubt an id.....Bartenders should stop servicing drunk people as in many countries is be done... and the judges should give real punishment and fines for those who are drunk behind the wheel or motorcycle.... instead of claiming  they are poor so 300 THB is already a lot for them or other excuses

Your joking right ?  As asked, what country do you come from that doesn't have laws, that enforce simple common sense.    Even in high enforcement countries, they have the same problems of less enforcement countries.

 

Plenty of drunks getting served to stupidity and crashing in the USA.  Strict traffic and alcohol laws and enforcement in USA, and take away the scooter numbers, and TH is as safe or dangerous to drive as the USA is.   Laws & enforce didn't change much.   We won't even discuss restrictive gun laws.   Illegal ownership & use is rampant, even with restrictive laws.

 

Here in TH, that 'self responsibility' isn't working very well with the helmet use.   Or building code apparently, highways & building falling down of late.

 

Alcohol law was changed for 1 reason, more profits from sales to tourist areas, and middle class that can afford to dine out regularly.   Drunks need their alcohol, and the elite need their profits.

 

Locals simply ignore the law, and everyone knows where to buy alcohol during off sale's hours or days, for responsible in home sipping.

[metisdead]

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[Grumpy one]

On 6/27/2025 at 4:52 PM, angryguy said:

I read the headline as something big but the article was a letdown 

So is Thai alcohol 

[Bundooman]

And there goes the tourist numbers.

 

Well done Thailand - you can obviously afford another slump along with the Chinese masses and other nationalities who will go elsewhere and buy alcohol where they are appreciated.

 

[ikke1959]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Your joking right ?  As asked, what country do you come from that doesn't have laws, that enforce simple common sense.    Even in high enforcement countries, they have the same problems of less enforcement countries.

 

Plenty of drunks getting served to stupidity and crashing in the USA.  Strict traffic and alcohol laws and enforcement in USA, and take away the scooter numbers, and TH is as safe or dangerous to drive as the USA is.   Laws & enforce didn't change much.   We won't even discuss restrictive gun laws.   Illegal ownership & use is rampant, even with restrictive laws.

 

Here in TH, that 'self responsibility' isn't working very well with the helmet use.   Or building code apparently, highways & building falling down of late.

 

Alcohol law was changed for 1 reason, more profits from sales to tourist areas, and middle class that can afford to dine out regularly.   Drunks need their alcohol, and the elite need their profits.

 

Locals simply ignore the law, and everyone knows where to buy alcohol during off sale's hours or days, for responsible in home sipping.

The USA the USA... there are more countries than only the USA..and yes drunks are everywhere, but there are also rehabilitation centres or help, and there are many bartenders who will not service you anymore when you are to drunk.. Probably not in the USA , but in my country plenty...In Thailand there is no need to self response.. Helmets as you say  for an example.. self responsibity should be the slaogan.. No help if you get an accident and insurance will not pay.. But in Thailand it is never a problem... as it claims to be a Buddhistic country everybody needs to be helped.. and so because there are no consequences people do as they like as they know there is never a problem.. See in schools.. Students who don't do anything will pass to the next grade, there it should start.. Work, study do your job and you will be rewarded instead of a free attention award to go to the next grade... Another example... A young man in my neighbourhood got an accident with his motorcycle, driving at the wrong side of the road, no helmet and no driverslicense...I am not sure what in the USA would happen, but here his family got 50k as compensation.. nobody else was involved, but he was tired and drunk and just lost control... In my country nothing would be given, and even the hospital should be paid by his family... That is teaching others to get insurance, helmet, driverslicense and follow traffic rules... That will make people to get responsible for their own actions, not how kind it is, a gift because he died. It could have been prevented

[Sydebolle]

4 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Consumption is not banned, only SALES.

Explain that to a tourist who is not fluent in Thai by crooks in rent-a-cop-uniforms 😉 

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, Sydebolle said:

Explain that to a tourist who is not fluent in Thai by crooks in rent-a-cop-uniforms 😉 

Google Translate is useful

 

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, Bundooman said:

And there goes the tourist numbers.

 

Well done Thailand - you can obviously afford another slump along with the Chinese masses and other nationalities who will go elsewhere and buy alcohol where they are appreciated.

 

 

You do know these sale hours have been around for years don't you ?

[KhunLA]

38 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

The USA the USA... there are more countries than only the USA..and yes drunks are everywhere, but there are also rehabilitation centres or help, and there are many bartenders who will not service you anymore when you are to drunk.. Probably not in the USA , but in my country plenty...In Thailand there is no need to self response.. Helmets as you say  for an example.. self responsibity should be the slaogan.. No help if you get an accident and insurance will not pay.. But in Thailand it is never a problem... as it claims to be a Buddhistic country everybody needs to be helped.. and so because there are no consequences people do as they like as they know there is never a problem.. See in schools.. Students who don't do anything will pass to the next grade, there it should start.. Work, study do your job and you will be rewarded instead of a free attention award to go to the next grade... Another example... A young man in my neighbourhood got an accident with his motorcycle, driving at the wrong side of the road, no helmet and no driverslicense...I am not sure what in the USA would happen, but here his family got 50k as compensation.. nobody else was involved, but he was tired and drunk and just lost control... In my country nothing would be given, and even the hospital should be paid by his family... That is teaching others to get insurance, helmet, driverslicense and follow traffic rules... That will make people to get responsible for their own actions, not how kind it is, a gift because he died. It could have been prevented

USA USA ... well, unlike others, I only comment and what I know and have personal experience of.   That would be USA & TH, as only 2 countries I have ever lived in.  

 

Can't comment honestly for knowledge of the other 10 or 15 countries, that I simply visited, not matter how many times, as living in and visiting experience and knowledge is completely different.

 

Your examples, not much difference USA & TH, and I suspect plenty of countries.   Selective enforcement, prosecution, to ignored obeying & enforcing laws.  

 

Only difference I find on AN, is the bias against, from the haters of all things Thai.  Love it or Leave it.   Or worse, the trolls than never have, left and or don't even visit anymore, with all their negativity.

 

I accept, actually welcome the lax enforcement, minimal presence of PoPo, for minor infraction.   They're busy arresting real criminals, or so I read in the news.

 

On topic ... as stated, alcohol laws are simply control and cash cow, especially for corrupt officials.  Only negative, when things become legal, where will they direct their attention next, to compensate for loss funds.

[simon43]

On 6/27/2025 at 9:28 PM, Puccini said:

 

What is sevell elewel?

It's what '7/11' sounds like when you are as plssed as a fart....

[petedk]

20 hours ago, DezLez said:

I was referring to the special "Entertainment Zones" set up in certain Provinces/cities/precincts which allowed alcohol sales out with the normal fixed hours.

 

Bars staying open to 7 AM are using the "brown envelope" method and out with the laws.

 

Yes, I realise that and in this case they must be big fat envelopes to the different authorities.  This in the middle of a residential area and slowly the houses are being bought up, refurbished and licensed as pubs/restaurants, others are pulled down to make parking areas making this become an "Entertainment zone."

 

Is that a way of staying open until 2 am? If that's the future then anyone buying a house should be aware of this. 

[GroveHillWanderer]

On 6/28/2025 at 10:25 AM, RabCNesbitt said:

So now I'm really confused..... I own a licenced bar / restaurant. 

Service Establishments: 'Businesses can sell alcohol during their legal operating hours'.

“Businesses will need to adjust, particularly local bars and restaurants.“

What exactly is a Service Establishment?

Our legal operating hours start at 8:00am and finish at Midnight...... can we sell alcoholic beverages during those 'legal operating hours'? 

There must be a clear definition of a Service Establishment in order to avoid breaking the law!!

Anyone have any idea what that is??

Something lost in the translation being used here, perhaps? 

 

According to the article in The Nation about this, the exceptions are as follows: 

 

Quote

- International airport terminals – Sales within airport terminals serving international flights.

 

- Licensed entertainment venues – Sales allowed during legal operating hours under the Entertainment Venue Act.

 

- Hotels – Sales permitted under the Hotel Act

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/policy/40051813

 

So if your bar is licensed under the Entertainment Venue Act, the restrictions wouldn't apply.

[GroveHillWanderer]

6 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Even Heineken 0% is banned. How silly.

It's not, as far as I know. I think the problem is that in some stores (including 7-11, possibly?) they have misconfigured their sales software such that Heineken 0% cannot be rung up on their tills during the restricted times.

 

However in other supermarkets where this is not automatically controlled, I have been able to persuade them to sell me it, by pointing out that it is in fact a soft drink, not alcohol.

[Drumbuie]

Alcohol is addictive, can kill you if you take too much (5 - 8+ gms per kilo body weight), causes cancer, is a depressive and also a neurotoxin. (And, being only one molecule different from sugar) it makes you fat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MarkBR]

On 6/27/2025 at 4:36 PM, Schoggibueb said:

So I can't see any new restrictions.

And the small shop around the corner out in the nowhere sells you a can Leo for 35B anytime.

 

No difference IMHO

And lao khao anytime 

[KannikaP]

3 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

 

You do know these sale hours have been around for years don't you ?

It used to be similar in UK, none is Scotland on Sundays.

[JJ-Thailand]

On 6/27/2025 at 11:50 AM, redwood1 said:

Yet no one can really explain why it exists...

I understand that the ban exists because government employees used to buy and consume alcohol during their lunch break. Maybe not so much anymore, it should be abolished.

[KannikaP]

2 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

It's not, as far as I know. I think the problem is that in some stores (including 7-11, possibly?) they have misconfigured their sales software such that Heineken 0% cannot be rung up on their tills during the restricted times.

 

However in other supermarkets where this is not automatically controlled, I have been able to persuade them to sell me it, by pointing out that it is in fact a soft drink, not alcohol.

Which means, yes, 0% beer is not available in the restricted hours. 7/11, Lotus & Makro that I know of.

[DezLez]

39 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

It used to be similar in UK, none is Scotland on Sundays.

Not strictly correct as there was a way round it!

The "12-mile rule" in Scotland historically allowed "bona fide travellers" to drink in establishments located at least 12 miles from their home, intended to permit them drinking privileges even on Sundays when pubs were otherwise closed.

You just drove to an hotel 12miles aways and showed proof of your home address.  (no need to book in or stay or even have a meal)

 Obviously before breathalysers.

The law changed in 1977!