(CNN) Thailand decriminalized cannabis three years ago, and this week the government implemented new regulations aimed at controlling the nation’s green rush.
Customers may no longer purchase cannabis without a doctor’s prescription as of Thursday, so limiting its use to medical and health-related purposes alone.
In a significant reversal from Thailand’s liberal stance since declassification, which saw a boom of dispensaries and cannabis cafes opening across the nation, especially in tourist areas, Thailand’s public health minister told CNN on Wednesday that he hopes to eventually recriminalize cannabis as a narcotic.
The public health minister, Somsak Thepsutin, told CNN that cannabis is exclusively allowed for medical purposes, which should be known.
A prohibition on advertising and medical certifications
The new regulations from Thailand’s Health Ministry are intended to enforce cannabis’s status as a controlled substance.
This implies that authorized cannabis stores can only now sell to clients who have a valid prescription. According to Somsak, they must also maintain thorough sales records and submit to frequent government inspections. Additionally, new regulations forbid commercial advertising, tighten regulations on farmers and producers, and forbid the sale of cannabis online or in vending machines.
Over 18,000 authorized cannabis stores nationwide will either need to change or face closure. The health ministry is proposing new laws that would greatly increase the fine of 20,000 baht ($620) or up to one year in prison for dealers found to be in violation of the new regulations.
The prohibition of advertising may also significantly alter the appearance of popular tourist destinations like Bangkok’s Khao San Road or beach towns like Pattaya, where hundreds of cannabis shops and cafes line the streets with green neon signs, inflatables shaped like cannabis, and catchy slogans that tempt visitors to get high.
In order to buy cannabis buds to cure diseases including chemotherapy-induced nausea, drug-resistant epilepsy, or nerve pain, visitors and residents must now have a doctor’s certificate from Thailand or their home country.
According to Somsak, we want to convey to visitors that while they are welcome to take in Thailand’s natural beauty and culture, the country shouldn’t be thought of as a place to go for recreational cannabis usage.
Why were the new regulations implemented?
Although medical marijuana has been permitted in Thailand since 2018, decriminalization in 2022 made it unlawful to cultivate, sell, or use any part of the plant to treat medical conditions. This was a significant change in a country known for its severe drug-related punishments.
The government planned to regulate the sector after legalization. However, when this didn’t happen, there was a legal void, and recreational use skyrocketed throughout the kingdom, especially in places that were well-liked by foreigners.
Cannabis-themed businesses such as hemp spas, cannabis cafes, and beauty parlors proliferated alongside thousands of cannabis stores. Decriminalization has been a big tourist attraction, and cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai have even hosted cannabis festivals.
Mike Tyson, who has introduced his own line of cannabis edibles styled like boxing gloves and ears, made an appearance at one such festival in Bangkok earlier this month.
Although Somsak stated that there is presently no precise assessment of the business’s value because of unregulated activities, a 2022 research published by Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce projected the market may be worth $1.2 billion by 2025.
According to Somsak, the new regulations fill that legal void and guard against abuse.
He stated that while we are not closing cannabis stores, we are giving medicinal regulation top priority.
Although revenue may initially decline, responsible, law-abiding businesses will continue to operate and be stable because of the harm that unregulated use does to society.
Smuggling and its effects on society
Proponents of stricter regulation argue that the sector has gotten out of hand and point to addiction, health risks, and minors using cannabis, while there are also increasing reports of tourists smoking in the streets of Thai islands.
A concept has been put out to create zones that would limit the areas where cannabis can be purchased and sold on the vacation island of Phuket.
Addiction to cannabis is currently on the rise and has emerged as a social problem. According to Somsak, it has an impact on kids and produces unpleasant smells.
Since the current cannabis economy is made up of dispersed, uncontrolled outlets, public safety must come first.
Cannabis smuggling has increased since legalization, which exacerbates the problem.
This year has seen a number of high-profile cases involving young British women that all started in Thailand.
Because of the severity of the problem, Thai and British authorities established a combined task force to stop the rise in drugs being smuggled into the UK by visitors and mail, with Thailand implementing more stringent border screening procedures.
According to the British authorities, approximately 800 cannabis smugglers were apprehended and over nine metric tons of cannabis were recovered between October 2024 and March 2025.
Upending the sector
Many Thais, including farmers, small business owners, and counter employees, have benefited from the growth, according to cannabis proponents.
Now, some vendors are rushing to figure out how the new rules will affect their company.
According to Ake Khattiyadamrong, who owns a cannabis shop in the Chonburi region of eastern Thailand, the law’s ambiguity has already raised concerns.
It’s unfortunate that Thailand was among the first nations to legalize cannabis after realizing its benefits. However, after it was made lawful, state authorities did not carry it out.
Public education was not really attempted. Additionally, the stated ministerial restrictions were not strictly enforced.
Proponents of cannabis claim that the new rules run the risk of increasing corruption and won’t curb illegal cultivation or smuggling.
Kitty Chopaka, a longtime cannabis activist with the Writing Thailand’s Cannabis Future Network advocacy group, which promotes equitable access, said this is a hasty response to purportedly resolving the smuggling issue.
Chopaka contends that a large number of stores operate without permits and offer readily available yet technically illegal goods like gummies and edibles.
According to her, the cops don’t shut them down.
The problem that they are now claiming has to be resolved wouldn’t have arisen if the government had upheld the laws and regulations that are now in place, she continued.
People will still buy cannabis for recreational purposes even if a doctor’s note is required, according to Ake, the store owner.
Since medical credentials can be purchased, as everyone knows, this simply gives some doctors a new source of income. He claimed that it costs customers more to obtain cannabis, particularly in light of Thailand’s present financial difficulties and worldwide economic concerns.
While Ake supports industry-stabilizing rules, he prefers transparent, comprehensive legislation that treat everyone equally.
Everything needs to be genuinely safe and traceable. That, in my opinion, is the fundamental idea. It has nothing to do with selling illicit, low-quality goods. According to him, those cannot ensure user safety.
Since legalization, the market has become oversupplied and prices have dropped due to overproduction, which has already negatively impacted the profits of cannabis vendors.
According to Chopaka, who recently had to close her business because of low costs and undercutting from larger vendors, there aren’t enough sales, the cost of cannabis is extremely low, and locals buy straight from the farmers.
Several attempts have been made to enact laws governing the cannabis sector. Last year, the ruling Pheu Thai Party advocated making the drug illegal once more, but the Bhumjaithai Party, which led the initial legalization, opposed the proposal.
Following Bhumjaithai’s withdrawal from the coalition government last week, Somsak has made another attempt.
Although he understood that passing a measure through parliament would take time, he stated the new regulations are only the first step.
He stated that this is not a set policy that cannot be altered.
Any nation must exercise caution when it comes to corporate activities or investment in the absence of legal control. There must be explicit regulations if the investment involves drugs or other restricted substances.
But Chopaka fears the new regulations will only make it harder for the smaller farmers to survive.
Fair access is what I want to see. She stated, “I want to see rules that make sense.”
