Thailand is moving closer to putting its medical-only cannabis model into national law, with a new bill that would require licenses across the supply chain, restrict sales to medical and research purposes, and prohibit advertising and promotion. Thousands of existing dispensaries could continue operating until their current licenses expire, but many would then need to transition into healthcare facilities and meet stricter medical requirements to stay open.
After four years of back and forth, Thailand is still reshaping its cannabis policy, seeking to turn into law the medical-only model it has been building since 2025.
On September 22, Thailand’s cabinet approved a new Cannabis Control Bill aimed at limiting use of the plant to medical and health purposes, as Forbes reported. The bill is not yet law: it will now be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.
The move marks a new chapter in a story we’ve been following since Thailand decriminalized cannabis in 2022. That opening removed the plant from the narcotics list, but without creating a comprehensive regulatory framework at the same time, leaving room for thousands of dispensaries to flourish along with an adult-use market that was never formally regulated.
A Law to Close the Loopholes Left Behind Since 2022
The new bill establishes that the cultivation, production, sale, import and export of flower and extracts will be subject to three-year licenses. Cultivation sites will also have to be registered by size and location to allow for traceability.
The sale of cannabis and extracts would be limited to medical use by people over 20 under treatment prescribed by authorized professionals, as well as to research purposes. Roots, stems, branches, leaves and seeds would be subject to a more flexible framework when intended for medical use.
The proposal also prohibits advertising and promotion of cannabis and related paraphernalia. Additionally, …
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Author: Camila Berriex / High Times
