Thailand plans new cannabis rules to rein in dispensary boom
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Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in 2022, but has since tightened its regulation in a series of policy changes.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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BANGKOK – Thailand’s government is planning to further rein in thousands of cannabis dispensaries that have sprung up in the wake of the drug’s decriminalisation by limiting sales mostly to licensed medical facilities.
Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in 2022
According to a draft of an amended Health Ministry regulation on “controlled herbs”, sales of cannabis will be allowed only at medical facilities, shops selling herbal products, pharmacies and through traditional medicine practitioners.
Establishments must also have at least one practitioner who has completed training from the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, on duty during operating hours, the draft regulation said.
The changes are currently under legal review, after which it will be signed and implemented, according to local media reports citing Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat, who did not give further details on the timeline.
He added that the changes will not affect patients who rely on cannabis for medical purposes.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party spearheaded the decriminalisation of cannabis, but has toughened its policy in an attempt to court conservative voters ahead of February’s election.
The new rules will deepen uncertainty for the fledgling cannabis industry, which had grown to more than 18,000 dispensaries by the end of 2025.
More than 7,000 are expected to close in 2026, as they did not seek to renew their licenses, Mr Pattana said.
Mr Prasitchai Nunual, secretary-general of Writing Thailand’s Cannabis Future advocacy group, said the new rules will push small dispensaries out of business.
“If it has to be a medical facility, no one can do it,” he said, adding that only stores backed by big business would be able to afford the changes.
It is the latest in a series of policy changes after the landmark decriminalisation policy unleashed liberal uses of cannabis, including recreational smoking.
Two subsequent administrations have sought to recriminalise cannabis and reel back recreational use that has flourished in popular tourist areas and even in Bangkok’s business districts.
There has also been a surge in cannabis smuggling across borders, the authorities have said.
Since mid-2025, buyers must obtain medical prescriptions to buy cannabis and dispensaries are required to sell cannabis only produced by farms that have obtained the “Good Agricultural and Collection Practices” certifications issued by the government.
Sales are capped at a 30-day supply per customer. BLOOMBERG
