Cabinet Backs Sweeping New Controls on Thailand’s Cannabis Industry

Cabinet Backs Sweeping New Controls on Thailand’s Cannabis Industry

Thailand’s Cabinet approved a cannabis control bill on September 22 that would impose tighter oversight from cultivation through retail sales while reinforcing a medical-use framework. Farms would have to be registered by size and location, while licences would generally be required for cultivation, production, importing, exporting and selling cannabis. The proposal would prohibit sales to people under 20, pregnant or breastfeeding women and restrict sales in locations including schools, temples, dormitories and parks, while also banning certain cannabis advertising and promotion. Existing dispensary licences are scheduled to expire progressively between 2026 and 2028, after which businesses wanting to continue would need to comply with medical-facility requirements, including having an authorised health practitioner and dispensing cannabis through prescriptions. The bill must still pass through the House of Representatives and the rest of the legislative process before becoming law.