Cabinet Approves Stricter Cannabis Control Bill
Thailand's Cabinet has approved stricter cannabis control legislation restricting use to medical purposes only, requiring existing retail shops to convert to licensed medical facilities or lose their operating licenses.
The Cabinet has approved a draft Cannabis Control Act, Health Minister Pattana Boripat announced on September 22 at Government House. The bill will now go to Parliament for consideration and establishes controls from cultivation through extraction and distribution, with cultivation sites required to register by size category. Penalties will be significantly stricter than current law.
Pattana confirmed that cannabis is now for medical use only. Existing retail shops operating under three-year licenses that expire between 2569 and 2571 will lose renewal rights unless they convert to licensed medical facilities with resident physicians who dispense medication only under doctor's orders. An application system already tracks over 10,000 registered cannabis shops and cultivation sites—representing about 95% coverage—allowing the public to verify which operations are legal.
Inspection teams will intensify checks on current retailers, particularly in major tourist and urban centers. The Thai Traditional Medicine Department will provide further details on enforcement and shop inspections, with sufficient personnel assigned to conduct surveillance nationwide.
