Last updated: October 2026. Thailand’s cannabis rules have changed several times since 2022 and are still changing. This page is general information, not legal advice.
The short answer
No. Smoking cannabis for fun is not legal in Thailand. Since 25 June 2025, cannabis flower has been treated as a controlled herb that can only be sold with a prescription from a licensed practitioner, for a medical reason. Smoking cannabis in public is illegal and can bring a fine of up to 25,000 baht, up to three months in prison, or both.
Many visitors still remember the “cannabis free-for-all” of 2022 and 2023, when shops and street stalls sold it openly. That period is over. Thousands of shops have closed, and the ones that remain must now operate as medical dispensaries.
How Thailand got here
- 2018: Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to allow cannabis for medical use.
- June 2022: Cannabis was removed from the narcotics list. Without detailed rules in place, a recreational market grew almost overnight. In 2022, Healthcare in Thailand saw cannabis being sold from street tables in Bangkok nightlife areas such as Soi Cowboy, close to passing police.
- 2024: The government began moving to bring cannabis back under control and limit it to medical use.
- 25 June 2025: A Ministry of Public Health order made a prescription compulsory for buying cannabis flower, ending legal recreational sales.
- January 2026: New rules required the remaining dispensaries to operate under medical supervision, with a licensed practitioner on site.
- End of 2025: Of about 18,400 registered cannabis shops, only around 15 percent renewed their licences when they expired, and more than 7,000 closed.
The rules for visitors today
- Prescription required: Cannabis flower can only be bought with a prescription from a licensed Thai medical or Thai traditional medicine practitioner, after a consultation. There is no “tourist” exemption.
- Limited supply: A prescription covers a maximum of 30 days, and the amount of flower is capped, reportedly at about 30 grams. The shop must record the patient’s details.
- No public smoking: Smoking in public places is illegal and is also treated as a public nuisance. Most hotels and condominiums ban it on their premises too.
- Online selling and delivery: The June 2025 rules ban selling cannabis flower online, including through social media and messaging apps, and require sales to take place at a licensed shop. Vending machines and advertising of cannabis flower are also banned. In practice, many shops still send regular customers product lists on LINE and arrange prescriptions remotely each month. Whether a remote (telemedicine) prescription is valid is disputed: some sources say it is allowed, others say a prescription must follow an in-person consultation. A shop offering this service is not proof that it is legal, and enforcement is expected to tighten.
- Age and health limits: Sales to anyone under 20, and to pregnant or breastfeeding women, are banned.
- Edibles and drinks: Food and drink products must stay within strict THC limits. Products sold as “CBD” or “hemp” must contain less than 0.2 percent THC by weight and should carry Thai FDA registration.
Do not take cannabis home
Bringing cannabis into Thailand, or taking it out, without a licence is illegal. Most other countries treat cannabis carried in luggage as drug smuggling, whatever the rules were where it was bought. Travellers have been arrested on arrival in the United Kingdom and elsewhere with cannabis bought in Thailand. This includes edibles, vapes and oils.
What is coming next
On 22 September 2026, the Thai Cabinet approved a draft Cannabis Control Act. It would register and track cannabis from farm to shop, license growers, processors and sellers for three years at a time, ban sales near schools, temples, dormitories and public parks, ban advertising, and introduce heavier penalties for unlicensed production and sale. It also confirms that cannabis is intended for medical use, not recreation.
As of October 2026, the bill still has to pass through Parliament, so it is not yet law. We will update this page when it does.
Medical cannabis for patients
Medical cannabis remains legal in Thailand when it is prescribed and supplied through the proper channels. Patients who want to explore it should speak to a doctor at a hospital or a licensed clinic, or to a qualified Thai traditional medicine practitioner, and should tell any other doctor treating them, because cannabis can interact with other medicines. Our guide to Thai traditional medicine explains how that system works.
Practical advice for travellers
- Do not buy cannabis from street sellers or unlicensed shops. Both the seller and the buyer can be in breach of the law.
- Do not smoke in public, at the beach, in bars or at your hotel.
- Be wary of shops offering a quick “consultation” with no real medical assessment, or ordering and delivery through LINE. Forged or improperly issued prescriptions can lead to legal action against the shop, the prescriber and, in some cases, the buyer.
- Never pack cannabis products in your luggage when you leave Thailand.
- Rules change quickly. Check the latest position before you travel, along with our Thailand entry requirements guide.
This page replaces our earlier articles “Marijuana Law in Thailand” and “Can I Smoke Weed in Thailand” from 2022. Healthcare in Thailand is an information site, not a legal adviser. For questions about your own situation, speak to a Thai-licensed lawyer.