Short answer
As of October 2026, recreational cannabis is not legal in Thailand. Since 23 June 2025 cannabis flower has been a controlled herb: tourists may not use, buy, carry or transport it without a prescription issued in Thailand by a licensed practitioner, limited to a 30-day supply. Shops still operate under licences that expire between 2026 and 2028, and a draft law limiting cannabis to medical use passed the Cabinet on 22 September 2026 but is not yet in force. Taking cannabis out of Thailand without permission is illegal, with fines from 30,000 baht per kilogram. Check the official pages before you travel.
Is cannabis legal for tourists in Thailand?
Not for recreation. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) told visitors on 26 June 2025 that cannabis flower became a controlled substance on 23 June 2025, under a new Ministry of Public Health regulation that replaced a directive of November 2022. TAT says tourists must not use, buy, carry or transport cannabis flower unless they hold a valid prescription issued in Thailand by a licensed practitioner in Thai traditional medicine, Chinese medicine or dentistry. In October 2026 the UK Foreign Office gave the same reading: medical use only, with a Thai prescription limited to a 30-day supply.
The 2022 change is the source of the confusion. TAT notes that cannabis was taken off the narcotics list in 2022, but it says recreational use was never legally permitted, because the law always aimed at medical, research and health uses. In practice, Wikipedia's summary notes, dispensaries generally did not ask buyers for a prescription, which is why it looked allowed. TAT's position is that what seemed tolerated in the past was never legally authorised.
What the June 2025 rules say beyond the prescription
TAT lists three more limits. Cannabis products cannot be sold online, through vending machines or by any form of advertising. Sales are not permitted in designated public areas, including temples, dormitories, parks, zoos and amusement venues. And a prescription may cover only what is medically necessary, never more than 30 days. TAT also warns that shops or stalls offering cannabis for smoking, especially those aimed at walk-in customers, may be operating outside the law, so tourists should not assume that products on public display are legal.
The government has also been policing the paperwork. On 17 August 2026 a deputy government spokesperson warned dentists not to sign the standard cannabis prescription form, known as Por.Tor.33, before examining a patient, saying that doing so breaks four laws at once, according to The Thaiger. For a visitor, the lesson is that a form handed over without an examination is the kind of shortcut officials are now targeting. The Food and Drug Administration hotline for questions is 1556.
Are the cannabis shops still open?
Many are, for now. Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat said on 22 September 2026 that shops selling cannabis still operate under their existing three-year licences, which expire in stages between 2026 and 2028. The Thaiger reported that the ministry had said around 12,000 outlets were active nationwide, and that Phuket had revoked 35 licences and suspended 112, according to provincial figures published in September. The minister said inspections will focus on tourist centres and major cities.
An open shop does not make every sale legal for a tourist, because TAT's prescription rule applies to the buyer whatever the shop's licence says. The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine runs an online map, MC-GIS, where the public can check whether a shop is registered, and the minister said a shop missing from the map could be presumed not legally registered. Check the map before you consider a purchase, and treat a shop that is not on it as a reason to walk away.
What is changing: the draft Cannabis Control Bill
On 22 September 2026 Thailand's Cabinet approved a draft cannabis control bill and sent it to the House of Representatives, The Nation reported. The draft would limit cannabis use to medical purposes with a doctor's prescription, register cultivation plots by size and location, and require three-year licences for growing, producing, importing, exporting and selling. It would also ban sales to people under 20, pregnant women and breastfeeding women, and prohibit advertising of flower, resin and smoking equipment.
It is not law yet. The Thaiger stresses that the draft must still pass the House and the rest of the legislative process before it takes effect, and The Nation reports that shops which are not medical facilities would be unable to renew once it applies. A medical facility would need a doctor on the premises. We follow the bill in our news report on the draft. Until parliament votes, the June 2025 rules are the ones that apply to you.
Taking cannabis out of Thailand is a separate and serious offence
Do not pack it. The UK Foreign Office warns that British nationals have been caught carrying cannabis out of Thailand, including while transiting other countries. It says attempting to take cannabis out without export permission brings fines starting at 30,000 baht per kilogram, detention or imprisonment if you do not pay, and a place on an immigration watchlist that affects future travel to Thailand. The Customs Department has also said cannabis flower can be exported only with authorisation.
The numbers show that enforcement is real. Customs said on 24 October 2026 that it had arrested 40 departing passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport between 1 and 24 October and seized more than 577 kilograms of flower, and that it had made 517 arrests and seized 10,628 kilograms since January, according to The Nation. Almost all those arrested were foreigners, and the Prime Minister has ordered tighter checks and random inspections of outbound baggage. Our report on the arrests has the details.
On a boat day, and how to check before you travel
Our Phi Phi and Maya Bay speedboat tour, from $75 per person, is a shared boat with up to 35 guests, and the islands are part of a national park. TAT's June 2025 notice bars cannabis sales in parks, and it bars carrying flower without a prescription anywhere in the country. Our advice is simple: leave it at the hotel. If you hold a Thai prescription, carry the document with you and ask us before the day how it fits the tour.
We are a tour company, not a legal adviser, and we cannot tell you what a particular shop may sell. These rules have changed more than once since 2022, so use official pages: TAT's newsroom, the Ministry of Public Health, the Food and Drug Administration hotline 1556, the Customs Department for anything you carry, and your own government's travel advice. This article reflects the rules as of 29 October 2026, so check the official page again before you travel.
Practical checklist
- Do not buy, use or carry cannabis flower in Thailand unless you hold a Thai-issued prescription of no more than 30 days.
- Never pack cannabis in luggage leaving Thailand, and never carry anything for another person.
- Check a shop on the MC-GIS map of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine before you consider buying.
- Read TAT's newsroom and your own government's travel advice for Thailand in the week you fly.
- Call the Food and Drug Administration hotline 1556 if you are unsure about a product.
Questions and answers
Can tourists buy cannabis in Thailand?
Only with a valid prescription issued in Thailand by a licensed practitioner, limited to a 30-day supply, according to TAT's notice of 26 June 2025. TAT also warns that shops serving walk-in customers who want to smoke may be operating outside the law.
Is cannabis still decriminalised in Thailand?
Cannabis was removed from the narcotics list in 2022, but TAT says recreational use was never legally permitted. Since 23 June 2025 the flower has been a controlled herb, and the Cabinet approved a stricter draft bill on 22 September 2026.
Can I take cannabis home from Thailand?
No. Taking it out without export permission is illegal. The UK Foreign Office says fines start at 30,000 baht per kilogram, with detention if unpaid and an immigration watchlist entry, and that carrying it into or through another country risks arrest.
Are Thailand's cannabis shops legal now?
Registered shops still operate under three-year licences that expire between 2026 and 2028, but a legal shop does not make every sale to a tourist legal. Check the MC-GIS map to see whether a shop is registered.
Will the cannabis law change again?
Probably. The Cabinet approved a draft Cannabis Control Bill on 22 September 2026 limiting use to medical purposes, but it must still pass the House before it becomes law. Check the official pages before you travel.
Who can I ask about a cannabis product in Thailand?
TAT gives the Food and Drug Administration hotline of the Ministry of Public Health, 1556, for questions. For anything you plan to carry through an airport, the Customs Department is the authority to ask.