Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:


After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.

Thailand Cabinet Approves Bill That Restricts Cannabis To Medical Use Only

Dario Sabaghi,

Forbes

Wednesday 23 Sep 2026

Thailand's Cabinet has approved a bill to restrict cannabis use solely to medical purposes, reversing its 2022 decriminalization that allowed a booming recreational market. Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat emphasized the plant's use for health, not recreation. The new law mandates three-year licenses for cultivating and selling cannabis flowers and extracts, while roots, stems, and leaves can be sold without a license for medical treatment. Sales are limited to adults over 20 for medical use by licensed practitioners or for research. The bill also bans advertising, imposes criminal penalties for illegal activities, and allows existing dispensaries to operate until 2028 before requiring compliance with new medical-only regulations. This move aims to regulate the previously unregulated market, despite the industry's significant revenue.

Thailand is wrapping up the process of restricting cannabis to medical use after decriminalizing it for recreational purposes in 2022.

The Cabinet this week approved a bill that limits cannabis to medical use only, effectively closing the loophole created by the 2022 decriminalization that allowed thousands of shops to sell cannabis recreationally across the Southeast Asian country.

Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat, who announced the Cabinet’s approval, said that the bill was the result of a study to assess the regulatory impact and took into consideration comprehensive public hearings. He added that the bill serves the principle that “cannabis must be used for medicinal and health interest, not for recreation,” as reported by Bangkok Post.

The bill stipulates that the cultivation, production, sale, import, and export of cannabis flowers and extracts will be subject to three-year licenses. However, roots, stems, branches, leaves, and seeds can be sold without a license if intended for medical treatment.

Under the proposed law, cannabis and its extracts can be sold to adults over 20 for medical treatment by licensed practitioners or used for medical research. Cultivators must register their locations so they can be tracked.

Additionally, the bill includes a ban on advertising, including the promotion of cannabis use and paraphernalia, and establishes criminal penalties and fines for illegal production, import, export, and sale, while cannabis abusers will be subject to fines only.

The bill also regulates existing cannabis dispensaries. They can operate under their current licenses through 2028. Once those expire, shops that are not medical facilities must meet the requirements of the new law if they want to qualify for renewal. Authorities are set to step up inspections.

More than 10,000 cannabis shops and cultivation sites have already been entered into a government tracking system, according to minister Pattana. Premises outside the system should be presumed to be operating illegally, he added.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dariosabaghi/2026/09/23/thailand-cabinet-approves-bill-that-restricts-cannabis-to-medical-use-only/

 

 

 

After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back. 




This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.

Feel free to link to this page!