Notice: Cannabis flower is dispensed only with a practitioner's prescription (form PT33). Age 20+. No online sales or delivery.

Thailand's cannabis rules for visitors (2026)

What the law allows, what it does not, and why.

The short answer

As of 2026, cannabis is legal in Thailand only within a medical framework. Cannabis flower is a controlled herb, sold only by licensed dispensaries and only to customers aged 20 or older who hold a prescription on form PT33 issued by a licensed Thai practitioner. Every purchase happens in person, because Thai law prohibits online sales and delivery. Smoking cannabis in public places carries penalties, and taking cannabis across international borders is a serious offense.

Where things stand in 2026

Thailand's cannabis rules changed in 2025, and they are enforced. Cannabis flower is now classified as a controlled herb under the Ministry of Public Health's controlled-herb regulations, and since 2025 it may only be dispensed to holders of a prescription on form PT33 from a licensed Thai practitioner.

One thing did not change, and it is the point visitors most often get wrong: cannabis was not put back on the narcotics list. Thailand tightened the rules in June 2025 without returning the plant to that schedule, and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board restated this publicly in July 2026. Cannabis flower is a controlled herb, which is a separate legal category with its own rules, and that is the category everything below describes.

The rules tightened again in 2026. A ministerial regulation on permits to research, export, sell, or process controlled herbs for commercial purposes (No. 2), B.E. 2569, has been in force since 30 April 2026. It narrows who may hold a licence to sell cannabis flower: the applicant must already hold a qualifying licence or credential, such as a healthcare facility licence, a licence to manufacture or sell medicines or herbal products, or certification as a folk healer. Licences issued under the older rules stay valid until they expire, and renewals are judged against the new standard. That regulation governs who may be licensed to sell, and where. What it asks of you as a buyer is unchanged: a PT33 prescription, age 20 or over, and an in-person purchase.

For a visitor, the practical picture is simple. Buying cannabis is legal when you follow the medical route: a consultation, a PT33 prescription, and an in-person purchase at a licensed dispensary, age 20 and over. Outside that route there is no legal way to buy cannabis flower in Thailand, and recreational sale is not permitted.

The rules at a glance

Age 20 and over

Sales to anyone under 20, to pregnant women, or to breastfeeding women are prohibited. Your passport is your ID.

PT33 prescription required

Since 2025, cannabis flower is dispensed only against a prescription on form PT33 from a licensed Thai practitioner.

In person only

No webshops, no delivery, no vending machines. Every legal purchase happens at a licensed counter.

Use in private, keep it in Thailand

Smoking in public places carries penalties, and cannabis must never cross a border with you.

Your questions, answered

Is cannabis legal in Thailand in 2026?
Yes, but only within a medical framework. Thailand classifies cannabis flower as a controlled herb under the Ministry of Public Health's regulations, which means it can be sold only by licensed dispensaries and only against a practitioner's prescription. There is no legal recreational market, and the rules are actively enforced.
Can tourists buy cannabis legally?
Yes. The medical route is open to visitors, and the steps are the same ones residents follow: consult a licensed Thai practitioner, receive a prescription on form PT33 if the practitioner considers it appropriate, then buy in person at a licensed dispensary. At the counter, your passport works as your ID.
Do I need a prescription, and how do I get one?
Yes. Since 2025, cannabis flower may only be dispensed to holders of a PT33 prescription, which can be issued by a doctor, a Thai traditional medicine practitioner, or another practitioner authorized by law. Clinics across Bangkok offer same-day consultations, a prescription covers up to 30 days of use, and the form states the quantity you may receive and the duration of use. If you do not have a prescription yet, our staff can point you toward partner clinics close to the shop.
What is the age limit?
You must be 20 years of age or older. Thai law also prohibits sales to pregnant women and to breastfeeding women, and ID is checked on every purchase. For visitors, that means bringing your passport each time.
Can I order cannabis online or have it delivered?
No. Thai law prohibits both online sales of cannabis flower and delivery, so there is no legal webshop, courier service, or vending machine. Every legal purchase is made face to face at a licensed dispensary, with your prescription and your passport.
Where am I allowed to smoke or consume?
Only in private. Thai law treats smoking cannabis in public places as a public nuisance, and it carries penalties. This applies even if you are holding a valid PT33: the prescription is what makes the purchase lawful, and it does not make consumption in public lawful. Private is not automatic cover either, because the rule reaches smell and smoke that affects other people, so a balcony, a hotel room, or a shared corridor can still put you in it. Consumption is not allowed on our premises either, so plan to use what you buy in private, following the guidance your practitioner gives you.
Does my prescription cover vape cartridges?
No. A PT33 for cannabis flower is a prescription for flower. A THC vape or cartridge is an extract, and extracts sit under a different part of Thai law from the controlled-herb rules that govern flower, with their own limits and their own permitted purposes. Holding a prescription for flower is not authority to buy or carry an extract. We do not sell vapes or cartridges. Our guide to CBD and extracts covers where extracts stand in more detail.
Can I take cannabis out of Thailand?
No, never. Carrying cannabis across an international border is a serious offense, even if cannabis is legal where you are headed. Use up or dispose of anything you have bought before you leave the country.
Who do these rules actually bind, me or the shop?
Mostly the shop. Under the controlled-herb framework the heavier obligations sit with the licensed seller: check a valid PT33 before dispensing, refuse anyone under 20, keep records for the regulator, and never advertise or sell online. A dispensary that skips the prescription step is not doing you a favour, it is taking a risk with its own licence and leaving you holding product you cannot account for. That is the practical reason to care whether a shop is licensed, and it is also why we ask for paperwork that a less careful shop might not.
Where can I buy legally in Bangkok?
Only at licensed dispensaries, and only with your PT33 prescription in hand. The Weed Shop is a licensed controlled-herb dispensary at 94/1 Srinagarindra Road, Nong Bon, Prawet, Bangkok 10250, Thailand, a short walk from Paradise Park shopping mall and near the MRT Yellow Line. The shop is open daily from noon to midnight, and a licensed practitioner is on site during opening hours.

Official sources

The rules described in this guide are based on these primary references:

Practices and prohibitions under the Controlled Herb (Cannabis) Announcement B.E. 2568 (2025), official guidance published by Thailand's Government Public Relations Department (in Thai). The announcement was published in the Royal Gazette on 25 June 2025 and has been in force since 26 June 2025.

Practice guidance under the Ministerial Regulation (No. 2), B.E. 2569, issued by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine on 12 May 2026 (in Thai). The regulation has been in force since 30 April 2026 and sets which premises may be licensed to sell cannabis flower.

Division of Medical Cannabis, Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, the regulator's official portal for current rules, licensing, and announcements (in Thai).