Cannabis extracts and the 0.2% THC line: Category 5 explained

When Thailand took cannabis off the narcotics list in June 2022, most of the world heard "legal". The plant left the list. The concentrated products did not. An extract of the cannabis or hemp plant with more than 0.2% THC by weight is still a Category 5 narcotic, and that line decides whether a product is a herb, a medicine or a criminal matter.

Three regimes, not one

Thai cannabis law runs on three separate tracks, and products move between them by chemistry and form:

• The flower (the inflorescence) is a controlled herb under the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act B.E. 2542 (1999). Selling it needs a DTAM licence and, since 26 June 2025, a PT.33 prescription for every sale. Verified
• Extracts sit under the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 (2021). The Notification Specifying Category 5 Narcotics B.E. 2565 (2022), in force from 9 June 2022, lists extracts of any part of the cannabis or hemp plant, with an exemption for an extract of not more than 0.2% THC by weight. Verified
• Finished products such as foods, cosmetics and medicines need Thai FDA registration on top of whatever applies to their ingredients. See edibles, drinks and FDA products.

Where the 0.2% THC line sits

The line is measured by weight in a laboratory. Above it, an extract is a Category 5 narcotic, whatever it is called. At or below it, the exemption applies only on the conditions the notification sets. Verified

Producing an extract lawfully needs a production licence under the extracts regulation in force since 25 April 2026. That regulation also closed extract production, import and export to foreign businesses. Verified

Hash, rosin, vapes and concentrates

These are the products buyers ask about most, and the ones where the market and the law disagree most:

• Hash and rosin are concentrated resin, which puts them on the extracts track, not the flower track.
• Vape cartridges and distillates are extracts by definition.
• Oils and tinctures are extracts too. Lawful ones exist as licensed, registered products, mainly medical oils.

A flower sale licence covers the flower. Extracts sit on the narcotics track, which has its own licence. Seeing these products on a shop shelf tells you about the shop, not about the law.

What this means for a business

• Retail: a dispensary licence is a flower licence. Extract products need their own licensed channel.
• Manufacturing: extraction needs a licence under the 2026 extracts regulation and, for finished goods, Thai FDA registration. Foreign businesses are closed out of extract production.
• Buying a business: extract stock on the shelf is a liability, not an asset. See red flags in a Thai cannabis deal.

The report's section on extracts sets out the full legal position, with sources. Section 3, on the rules in force, is free to read.

Sources

• Section 3 of the 2026 report, The rules in force (free to read)
• Juslaws, Amendment to cannabis law on 25 June 2025
• The Star (Bernama), Thailand to tighten cannabis controls and propose tougher penalties, 22 October 2026

This article is market intelligence, not legal advice. Rules change by notification; check the current text with the licensing authority or Thai counsel before you act.