Thailand’s cannabis landscape is experiencing a dramatic reversal in 2025. After emerging as Southeast Asia’s first nation to decriminalize cannabis in June 2022, the government is now making a decisive U-turn: passing draft legislation and ministerial orders to again criminalize recreational use, restrict sales to prescription-only medical patients, and tighten enforcement for all market participants.
The new reality for cannabis operators and consumers in Thailand is one of heightened regulatory scrutiny, compliance risk, and rapidly evolving requirements. This informational overview explains the current legal trajectory, compliance obligations, and action steps for cannabis businesses and stakeholders navigating this monumental shift.
Understanding the 2025 Recriminalization of Cannabis in Thailand
After an unprecedented wave of new retail shops, tourist sales, and public consumption blossomed in the wake of decriminalization, mounting public health, political, and diplomatic pressures drove the Thai government to clamp down. Beginning in June 2025, authorities advanced a draft bill in Parliament that would:
- Re-add cannabis flower to Thailand’s narcotics list (narcotics category 5), likening possession, distribution, and sale of non-medical products to illegal drug activity.
- Limit all retail sales of cannabis products strictly to medical patients holding a valid prescription from a licensed Thai physician.
- Reintroduce criminal penalties for unauthorized possession, sale, and advertising—including harsh sanctions against both businesses and individuals.
Key regulatory agencies, including Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), have backed this shift. News outlets such as Reuters and Bangkok Post have detailed how ministerial regulations are being implemented even as the full bill advances, signaling imminent changes.
Timelines and Effective Dates
While the full legislation is expected to be enacted in the second half of 2025, the Ministry of Public Health and related agencies have already begun:
- Raids and warnings for recreational-focused dispensaries
- Drafting grace periods or transition windows for registered businesses to audit and shift their operations
- Tightening prescription verification protocols for all cannabis sales
Once the bill becomes law, non-compliant operators may face sudden business suspensions, criminal charges, and asset seizures.
New Compliance Requirements: What Thai Cannabis Shops Must Do
With a transition to prescription-only medical sales, cannabis operators must immediately review and overhaul their compliance programs. Failing to adapt quickly risks business closure or criminal prosecution.
1. Audit All Licensing and Regulatory Status
- Ensure all licenses are current for medical cannabis retail and staff. Tourism or wellness-oriented permits will become invalid for flower sales.
- Prepare documentation for inspections—Thai authorities are prioritizing checks of retail businesses and supply chains.
2. Prescription Verification and Recordkeeping
- Implement robust patient verification at the point of sale: Only customers with a valid, government-recognized medical cannabis prescription may legally purchase flower or full-spectrum cannabis products.
- Retain documentation for every transaction, including prescription copies (per data privacy regulations) and purchase/source logs.
- Train staff on new protocols to prevent sales to tourists or unauthorized consumers.
3. Product Sourcing and Seed-to-Sale Controls
- Only source cannabis flower and extracts from growers certified by Thailand’s Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) under Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) standards.
- Maintain up-to-date source and purchase forms, with traceability for all inventory—expect random inspections.
4. Inventory and Retail Floor Triage
- Segregate and document all recreational inventory, prioritizing compliant disposition (destruction or return to suppliers) per ONCB rules.
- Separate products approved for medical sale—especially low-THC and non-flower forms permitted for wellness or food use under earlier regulations.
5. Marketing, Signage, and Age-Gating
- Cease all recreational advertising—online, in-store, and via social media. Remove tourist-oriented promotional materials.
- Update medical-only signage and require staff to display compliance notices.
- Strictly age-gate all sales, enforcing Thailand’s 20+ age requirement for medical cannabis patients.
- End all in-store consumption or cannabis café services immediately.
6. Transition and Communication Strategy
- Issue clear communications to customers and staff about the abrupt pivot to prescription-only operations.
- Brief key suppliers, compliance officers, and legal advisors regarding evolving requirements and timelines.
- Prepare for public inquiries and government spot checks—demonstrating a strong compliance culture is crucial to avoid reputational or legal risk.
Enforcement and Penalties: What Businesses and Consumers Should Expect
With the return of criminal penalties for unauthorized cannabis, authorities are ramping up both inspections of shops and targeted checks of advertising, inventory, and prescription procedures.
Penalties for violations may include:
- Immediate license revocation or business shutdown
- Criminal charges for owners, managers, and staff
- Seizure of unauthorized inventory
- Fines and possible imprisonment for sales without a prescription or for marketing aimed at recreational users
The ONCB and local law enforcement agencies have signaled that tourist shops and high-profile operators will be first under scrutiny. Do not expect further warning periods before actions are taken once the law is enacted.
International, E-Commerce, and Cross-Border Risks
For multinational companies and e-commerce platforms:
- Cease all advertising (digital or physical) targeting Thai consumers for recreational sales, even for CBD and low-THC products unless explicitly approved by the Ministry of Health.
- Review and potentially suspend cross-border inventory flows pending further guidance, as import/export controls will tighten substantially.
- Watch closely for publication of the final bill text, effective date, and any announced grace period—these details may shift quickly.
Special Compliance Considerations: Documentation and DTAM/GACP Certification
A hallmark of the new regime is stringent documentation and traceability:
- Dispensaries must keep readily available DTAM/GACP certificates for all inventory, plus full supplier and purchase records.
- Documentation must be prepared for audit by Ministry officials, ONCB inspectors, or local police at any time.
- Inventory not accompanied by such documentation is subject to immediate seizure.
- Audit licenses: Confirm you hold valid medical cannabis retail permissions for all locations and staff.
- Inventory triage: Purge all non-medical flower stock; lock down and document medical-only inventory.
- Staff training: Ensure all personnel are educated on age-gating, prescription verification, and transaction logging.
- Documentation ready: Update all transaction, sourcing, and prescription records for compliance checks.
- Compliance communications: Frequently update staff, suppliers, and consumers—as requirements may shift quickly.
- Publication of the final cannabis control bill on the official Ministry of Public Health portal and Government Gazette.
- Ministerial orders or detailed regulations specifying effective dates, phase-in or grace periods, and categories of products permitted or prohibited during transition.
- Pronouncements from ONCB and DTAM regarding inventory amnesty, certification audits, and continued issuance or revocation of licenses.
The current landscape is fluid and subject to rapid change, with significant risks for both businesses and consumers who fail to keep pace with compliance obligations.
For the latest on Thailand cannabis recriminalization 2025 compliance, consult with regulatory experts, monitor ministry announcements, and leverage up-to-date resources. CannabisRegulations.ai provides actionable guides and compliance tools tailored to fast-changing global cannabis markets—helping your business stay ahead and protected during turbulent times.
