Anyone who wants to buy cannabis buds in Thailand needs a prescription from a licensed health professional, such as a doctor, pharmacist or dentist, and the prescription can cover no more than 30 days. The government stressed this on 17 July 2026, saying cannabis is "not free". Buds are a controlled herb under a Ministry of Public Health announcement issued in 2025, and sellers who break the rules face legal penalties.
Cannabis is not fully liberalised, but it is not banned outright either. Buds can be sold under the conditions of the announcement and a ministerial regulation. The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine says growing does not require permission, but selling buds does require a licence. The rules in the Thai report are not described as applying only to Thai nationals, so visitors and residents should assume they apply to everyone.
Where buds can be sold
Under the 2025 Ministry of Public Health announcement, a shop must obtain a prescription before selling buds to a member of the public. The prescription must be issued by a licensed professional for medical purposes and cover no more than 30 days. Buyers therefore have to be examined by or consult a professional first. They cannot simply walk into a shop and buy.
The announcement sets out three further bans:
- Selling buds for smoking on the premises is banned, except as treatment given by a licensed professional.
- Sales through vending machines and electronic channels are banned.
- Advertising is banned in every channel.
This means ordering buds online is not a route the announcement allows.
The department says growers can sell buds only to certain license holders: factories making herbal medicines and products, importers of controlled herbs, medical facilities, pharmacies, and others named in the ministerial regulation. A grower cannot sell directly to the general public. Buds must pass through a licensed outlet before they reach the user.
What growers who sell must do
A second ministerial regulation, issued in 2026, covers licences to research, export, sell or process controlled herbs commercially. Buds offered for sale need a quality certificate: either a GACP certificate (good agricultural and collection practices) from a government agency, or a COA (certificate of analysis) from a private laboratory. The main conditions for growers are:
- A plot owner who is an individual must be at least 20 years old.
- The owner must not have a record of drug offences or other serious offences specified by law.
- Workers must complete 2 training courses approved by the department and be present at the plot whenever it is open.
- Accounts and documents must be kept for at least 3 years and be available for inspection by officials.
- The status of the plot must be reported every month, within one month of the end of the month.
The regulation prescribes forms for planting and harvest records and for sales records to trading partners. The monthly report must state production volume, inventory and sales. If buds are stolen or lost, the grower must notify the licensing authority in writing without delay.
People who held a licence under the 2016 regulation can continue until that licence expires. After that they must apply for a new licence under the new regulation. Those whose licence was suspended for breaking conditions may not have it renewed.
Penalties for illegal sales and export
Illegally selling cannabis buds is punishable under Section 78 of the 1999 Act on the Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicinal Intelligence. The penalty is up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both. Taking cannabis out of the country without going through customs, or evading inspection, carries up to 10 years in prison or a fine of 4 times the value of the goods including duty, or both.
Anyone who sees illegal sales of buds, or gatherings to use cannabis that cause a nuisance, can report them to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) hotline on 1386, which operates 24 hours a day.
What to check before buying or starting a business
Buyers should ask about the prescription and be ready to see a licensed professional, because the prescription is the main condition for buying buds. Foreign buyers should ask the clinic or pharmacy directly whether it can issue and fill a prescription for a non-Thai customer, as the Thai report does not address this.
People thinking of opening a shop or selling buds should check the conditions in the 2026 regulation, including licensing, quality certificates, plot owner qualifications and monthly reporting.
Rules for products other than buds, such as cannabis leaves or products extracted from cannabis, may differ by product type. Check with the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine or the Thai Food and Drug Administration before buying or producing them.
Source: Ministry of Public Health announcement on controlled herbs (cannabis) and Thai government information; ministerial regulation (No. 2, 2026) on commercial licences for controlled herbs, per the Medical Cannabis Division, Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine.
This article is adapted from ViewNews' Thai-language report.
