On 25 June 2025, the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand published an announcement in the Royal Gazette to amend the previous Announcement on Controlled Herbs (Cannabis) B.E. 2565 dated on 11 November 2022, which is the main body of regulations regarding cannabis flowers in Thailand. This new announcement was made effective on 26 June 2025, the day after its publication in the Royal Gazette.

The amendment to cannabis law in Thailand has now come into force and shall be observed by cannabis sellers, growers, and consumers alike.

First and foremost, it is important to state that cannabis sales and consumption remains perfectly legal in Thailand, however this new amendment seems to curb the uncontrolled sales of cannabis for purposes other than medical.

1. GACP Required for Growers:

Growers and exporters of cannabis flowers are now required to obtain a GACP (Good Agriculture and Collection Practices) from the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) under the Ministry of Public Health. A commercial cannabis cultivation operation not having the GACP certification exposes itself to punishment from the authorities.

GACP from third-party certification organizations will not be accepted; only a GACP certificate from the DTAM will be accepted. It takes 60 to 180 days to obtain GACP certification depending on the preparedness of the company. The GACP certificate from the DTAM is valid 3 years upon obtention, which aligns with the duration of cannabis sales and export licenses.

The GACP is given after the DTAM has checked that the company is compliant with the standard operating procedures observed for cannabis agriculture and collection.

As there is currently no cannabis growing/cultivation license required in Thailand, for commercial operations, it can be assumed that the GACP certification from the DTAM is used in lieu of a growing/cultivation license by the authorities.

You may contact us if you are in need of GACP certification from the Thai government for your cannabis cultivation business.

2. Sellers Must Buy GACP Flowers:

Distributors of cannabis flowers such as dispensaries that obtained the License to Sell or Process Controlled Herbs for Trade Under the Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine Wisdom Act B.E. 2542 are required to ensure that the cannabis sold in their shop has been sourced from a grower that has obtained the GACP certification from the DTAM.

In the event of a police check of shop, if the dispensary is unable to show a form Phor.Tor.27 indicating the source of the purchase, and if the grower of the cannabis does not have GACP certification from the DTAM, then both the dispensary and the grower will face punishment.

This requirement also applies to cannabis exports, as any exporter unable to present a GACP certification from the DTAM for the cannabis flowers to be exported will see his shipment seized by the Thai Customs Department.

Traceability of the source of cannabis purchase by licensed distributors (dispensaries or exporters) is done by self-reporting monthly with the form Phor.Tor.27.

3. Smoking Inside Only Under Supervision of a Doctor:

The new amendment of the cannabis law in Thailand prohibits sales of cannabis for smoking in the business premises, unless the sale has been made under the supervision of a licensed medical practitioner under the Medical Profession Act, the Thai Traditional Medicine Act, or the Dental Professional Act.

This prohibition already existed before under the terms and conditions of the License to Sell or Process Controlled Herbs for Trade Under the Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicine Wisdom Act B.E. 2542.

A dispensary can still sell cannabis without a doctor being present in the shop, but in that case, it must not allow smoking in the premises.

4. Buyers Need Doctor Prescription:

Foreigners can still buy cannabis, but any person purchasing and possessing cannabis must be in possession of a prescription from a licensed medical practitioner under the Medical Profession Act, the Thai Traditional Medicine Act, or the Dental Professional Act.

The prescription must specify that the treatment prescribes the use of cannabis.

Failure to display a valid prescription if caught by the Royal Thai Police with cannabis flowers may lead to serious legal trouble. Police may also investigate the shop where the user bought the flowers from as the shop would also be liable for selling to someone not having a doctor prescription for cannabis.

The police may detain the cannabis user and/or shop staff no more than 48 hours for questioning. Then, the police may bring the offender to a judge who can order to continue the detention for up to 84 days pending the sentencing.

5. No More Than 30 Days Worth of Cannabis Flowers:

The quantity of cannabis flowers sold to an individual possessing a prescription from a licensed medical practitioner must not exceed 30 days of use.

At the moment, it appears that the threshold seems to have been arbitrarily set at 30 grams per patient per month, but it remains to be seen how dispensaries can verify how much a buyer with a prescription has purchased from other sources during the last 30 days.

A cannabis consumer with over 30 grams of cannabis caught by the Royal Thai Police flowers may find himself in serious legal trouble. The police may also investigate the shop where the user bought the flowers from to see if the quantity purchased was properly reported on the from Phor.Tor.29 by the seller.

The police may detain the cannabis user and/or shop staff no more than 48 hours for questioning. Then, the police may bring the offender to a judge who can order to continue the detention for up to 84 days pending the sentencing.

6. Shops Must Report Sales & Purchases Monthly:

As always, dispensaries mut report monthly to the DTAM under the Ministry of Public Health who they buy from and sell to, and in which quantity:

• The form Phor.Tor.27 must be self-reported monthly by dispensaries to declare their purchases of cannabis from GACP-certified growers.
• The form Phor.Tor.28 must be self-reported monthly by dispensaries and growers to declare the transformation/processing of cannabis flowers.
• The form Phor.Tor.29 must be self-reported monthly by dispensaries and growers to declare the sale of cannabis flowers.

Such monthly reporting to the DTAM was already mandatory under the previous law.