The government has repeated that cannabis flower is classified as a "controlled herb", requiring licences for commercial research, export, sale and processing, while public sales are limited to people with valid medical prescriptions.

The measures, outlined by deputy government spokesperson Ploythalay Laksameesaengjan on Friday, July 17, 2026, form part of the Ministry of Public Health Notification on Controlled Herbs (Cannabis) 2025.

Cannabis flower can be prescribed for medical purposes by a physician, Thai traditional medical practitioner, folk healer, pharmacist or dentist. Each prescription can cover no more than 30 days.

Prescription-only sales

Under Section 46, anyone intending to research, export, sell or process cannabis flower commercially must obtain a licence.

Sales to the general public are permitted only where the buyer has a prescription from a qualified practitioner. Retailers that secretly sell flowers to people without a doctor's prescription may face prosecution.

Smoking cannabis flower on business premises is prohibited, except when it is part of treatment provided by a qualified practitioner. The regulations also ban sales through vending machines, electronic channels and computer networks, as well as advertising through any channel.

Those who illegally sell, process or export cannabis flower can be prosecuted under Section 78 of the Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act 1999. The maximum penalty is one year's imprisonment, a fine of up to THB20,000, or both.

What travellers need to know

For foreign residents and visitors, the most important point is that cannabis flower cannot simply be treated as an ordinary tourist purchase. Buyers should ensure any flower is obtained in line with the prescription requirement, while businesses catering to tourists must comply with the new sales and advertising restrictions.

Travellers should also be particularly careful not to carry cannabis out of Thailand. Ploythalay said that, although Thailand has laws governing cannabis for medical and health purposes, some countries still classify it as a serious narcotic drug.

The government urged the public and travellers to follow the laws of destination countries, whether they are aware of those rules or not. This includes avoiding carrying cannabis in luggage, across land borders or on onward flights.

Smuggling cannabis out of Thailand without customs formalities, or attempting to evade inspection, carries a far heavier penalty: up to 10 years in prison, a fine equal to four times the value of the goods including duty, or both.

Reporting suspected breaches

Members of the public can report suspected illegal cannabis flower sales, or gatherings involving narcotics that cause a public nuisance, to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board hotline on 1386. The line operates 24 hours a day.

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18 July 2026

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Alcohol-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 20,000 – 23,000 deaths per year

Tobacco-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 70,000 – 80,000 deaths per year

Ganja-related deaths (Thailand)

= 0 deaths per year

No medical prescriptions resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, but valid medical prescriptions are needed for zero deaths?

Got it. 😀

Does repeating something actually reinforce it?

If the government wishes to reinforce regulations surrounding cannabis then they need to improve enforcement of the law.

This talking head is achieving nothing.

5 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Alcohol-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 20,000 – 23,000 deaths per year

Tobacco-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 70,000 – 80,000 deaths per year

Ganja-related deaths (Thailand)

= 0 deaths per year

No medical prescriptions resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, but valid medical prescriptions are needed for zero deaths?

Got it. 😀

Thai logic, go figure...

6 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Alcohol-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 20,000 – 23,000 deaths per year

Tobacco-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 70,000 – 80,000 deaths per year

Ganja-related deaths (Thailand)

= 0 deaths per year

No medical prescriptions resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, but valid medical prescriptions are needed for zero deaths?

Got it. 😀

How many of those road deaths were due to being under the influence

7 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Alcohol-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 20,000 – 23,000 deaths per year

Tobacco-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 70,000 – 80,000 deaths per year

Ganja-related deaths (Thailand)

Thailandtravel guides

= 0 deaths per year

No medical prescriptions resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, but valid medical prescriptions are needed for zero deaths?

Got it. 😀

Any source for those stats?

1 hour ago, Aussie999 said:

How many of those road deaths were due to being under the influence

what road deaths? , nobody mentioned any road deaths

So, is personal possession limited or illegal in any way? This seems focussed on sellers.

There must be a huge lot of people having subscriptions, as there are more cannabis outlets than 7-Elevens on the island where I live— cannabis outlets even seem to open faster than new 7-Eleven shops — facts are that we only have about 50 7-Eleven shops, even it's the highest concentration outside Bangkoks, while there are more than 100 cannabis shops according to WEED.TH, even 600 outlets has been mentioned...

There are multiple different wordings on possession since the laws changed June 2025 but this is AI.............

Legal Status & Rules

• Prescription Requirement: Cannabis buds are classified as controlled herbs under the Traditional Thai Medicine system and require a valid PT33 medical prescription.

• Medical Conditions: Prescriptions are legally restricted to approved conditions like insomnia, chronic pain, migraines, Parkinson's disease, and loss of appetite.

• Allowed Amounts: Patients are restricted to a maximum 30-day supply (roughly 30 grams per month).

• Public Consumption: Smoking or consuming cannabis in public spaces remains illegal and subject to public nuisance laws.

Penalties

• Without Documentation: Possessing or buying cannabis flower without a proper local medical prescription can lead to fines up to 25,000 THB, jail terms up to 3 months, or legal action under controlled-herb mandates.

• Import/Export: Bringing cannabis into or out of Thailand without specialized clearance is strictly prohibited and carries severe penalties including up to 10 years in prison. And this link ( which doesn't work directly for some reason but you'll see it listed) from Thai law online.........https://www.<removed>.com/thailand-drug-laws-penalties/

Edited July 18Jul 18 by fredwiggy

10 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Alcohol-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 20,000 – 23,000 deaths per year

Tobacco-related deaths (Thailand)

≈ 70,000 – 80,000 deaths per year

Ganja-related deaths (Thailand)

= 0 deaths per year

"Ganja-related deaths (Thailand)

= 0 deaths per year"

Perhaps that's the result of sales being regulated and illegal for recreational use?!

1 hour ago, Peabody said:

So, is personal possession limited or illegal in any way? This seems focussed on sellers.

Yes, possession of cannabis without a medical prescription is illegal, it's really that simple. Enforcement regarding small amounts is another matter.

2 hours ago, khunPer said:

There must be a huge lot of people having subscriptions, as there are more cannabis outlets than 7-Elevens on the island where I live— cannabis outlets even seem to open faster than new 7-Eleven shops — facts are that we only have about 50 7-Eleven shops, even it's the highest concentration outside Bangkoks, while there are more than 100 cannabis shops according to WEED.TH, even 600 outlets has been mentioned...

Honestly, I was also amazed when I first visited this website. I couldn't believe the number of shops it lists, even in rural areas.

However, I'm uncertain about its accuracy of the grey dots on the map.

In my village, Ban Nong Pling in Nakhon Sawan, the map indicates there are five shops, but none of them are still operating. Since the new regulations were implemented, most small shops have closed, likely because they can't afford to hire medical staff and adjust to all other new requirements.

48 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"Ganja-related deaths (Thailand)

= 0 deaths per year"

Perhaps that's the result of sales being regulated and illegal for recreational use?!

So how many lives do you think the regulations have saved

Well it might have been a consequence , if it actually was being regulated , but as it isn't then it's probably not As overdosing on cannabis is not an issue, I fail to see how recreational use is any more "dangerous" than medical use. With prescriptions being issued for things like "loss of appetite" and "insomnia" the whole thing is a total

charade

No sales to minors , which is already the rule , and no public smoking ,which is also an existing rule These are the only regulations required, Not much point in dreaming up further regulations when there doesn't appear to be the appetite to enforce the ones they already have

Actually one of my mates back in the UK did actually die as a result of cannabis , he was on his way to score and got knocked down by a bus, the doctors refused to treat him due to the state of his underpants, despite constant warnings by his mother, Would a prescription have helped him ? well it's not for me to say, RIP "macca"

My questions is: where do they get the authority to make such a regulation? The restrictions on cannabis sales were put forth at the time it was legalized and Parliament has not passed any laws changing those restrictions.Does Thailand have rule of law or rule by a bunch of bureaucrats?

18 hours ago, Beat666 said:

Honestly, I was also amazed when I first visited this website. I couldn't believe the number of shops it lists, even in rural areas.

However, I'm uncertain about its accuracy of the grey dots on the map.

In my village, Ban Nong Pling in Nakhon Sawan, the map indicates there are five shops, but none of them are still operating. Since the new regulations were implemented, most small shops have closed, likely because they can't afford to hire medical staff and adjust to all other new requirements.

I live on Samui, and the gray dots on the map seems to fit well; they are accurate for the area I live in, I have 4 cannabis-shops within 200-300 meters walking distance, but only one 7-Eleven. I don't use cannabis, but I do visit 7-Eleven...🙂

There are 12 7-Elevens from Chaweng Beach to my home, a distance of 12 kilometers. So, a 7-Eleven store in average for each kilometer. I stopped the counted, when I reached 20 cannabis shops on the same route; and there are more than 20.

No, it's not miniBigC selling weed, it's the shop next door...😉

15 hours ago, technoronin said:

My questions is: where do they get the authority to make such a regulation? The restrictions on cannabis sales were put forth at the time it was legalized and Parliament has not passed any laws changing those restrictions.Does Thailand have rule of law or rule by a bunch of bureaucrats?

i watched a few videos on you tube by "Integrity legal" the guy there reckons none of these recent announcements actually carry any weight ,due to them not being "promulgated laws" Now I don't know if he's right or not , but it would certainly explain why there have not been any examples of people getting "busted" for having no prescription. If that starts happening it would be all over the news

23 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

On 7/18/2026 at 2:54 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

"Ganja-related deaths (Thailand)

= 0 deaths per year"

Perhaps that's the result of sales being regulated and illegal for recreational use?!

So how many lives do you think the regulations have saved

I didn't say that I thought the regulations had saved any lives, did you not see my question mark.. not to mention the exclamation mark which sort of suggests my comment might not have been 100% serious.

In terms of the rule of law, as you very well know, that is incredibly selective here. If you have enough cash, you not only can smoke and possess as much pot as you want here, but the police will not touch you for it. And if they do, you walk away scot free. In addition you can commit murder, engage in human trafficking, have slaves aboard your fishing boats, and do pretty much anything you like. So, the law here is very subjective. Also, it is being enforced by a junta lacking in judgment. So, I have little respect for the enforcement of silly laws.

Pot should be legal worldwide. It harms nobody, unless you count poor memory and lack of ambition as great offenses against the nation.

Illegal by who's definition? A corrupt, illegal government that is completely out of step with a changing world? Pot does little harm to anyone. The biggest risk is the the user will lose his ambition. Compared to alcohol the detriment to society is minuscule. The only reason why they want to make ganga illegal in Thailand is due to the fact that legalization would make the police franchises less valuable. That is it. It ends there. This has nothing whatsoever to do with morality or character development. Quite the contrary. And to lump a pot smoker into the same category as a heroin addict is just plain old ridiculous and ignorant of the facts.

I would agree that it lowers the level of a person's ambition, if used alot. And it does slow down the minds of some. To say it makes a person stupid is judgmental and narrow minded. I know plenty of brilliant people who smoke, and it has not slowed them down. To the contrary, alot of highly intelligent people use herb to slow down their brains, create some perspective, alter their perception and boost their creativity. Speaking from experience, there is little about ganga that is harmful, as long as it does not become a daily habit. I used to smoke occasionally. It was delightful, and did not make me stupid. It did make me funnier, and enhanced my life on several levels. Dancing, sex, skiing, music, movies, and many other activities seemed more enjoyable. 

I consider alcohol to be infinitely more toxic to the body and mind. Not to mention society. Yet, it is legal. Like many things, moderate use can be enjoyable and relaxing for many. And from a medicinal point of view, it is astonishing. My mother smoked. She had severe degenerative osteoarthritis of the spine. She was in alot of chronic pain. It helped her alot. And my guess is it was far better for her health and mind, than pain killers. 

Making ganja illegal now after the government legalized it is an enormous betrayal and shows how deeply insincere Anutin truly is about helping the Thai people, many of whom invested heavily in the industry counting on the government to back them up.