Licences and rules
"Controlled herb" explained: what the status means legally
Thailand Cannabis Report · Reefers Club Co., Ltd. · Last checked 31 October 2026
When Thailand took cannabis off the narcotics list in June 2022, it did not leave the plant unregulated. A week later it made the plant a controlled herb. That status, not the narcotics law, is what governs a licensed cannabis shop today.
Where the status comes from
The Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act B.E. 2542 (1999) lets the Minister of Public Health declare a herb "controlled". Once declared, studying it for research, exporting it, selling it or processing it for commerce needs a licence, and the Act supplies the powers to inspect, suspend and revoke. Verified
How cannabis became one
- 9 June 2022: the cannabis plant leaves the Category 5 narcotics list. Extracts above 0.2% THC stay on it.
- 17 June 2022: the first controlled-herb notification makes the whole plant a controlled herb.
- 24 November 2022: a second notification narrows the controlled herb to the flower and sets licence conditions.
- 26 June 2025: the 2025 notification brings in the prescription for every flower sale, a certified-source rule and bans on online sales, advertising and smoking at the shop.
What it means in practice
- For a seller: a DTAM licence, a PT.33 prescription behind every sale, stock from a certified source, monthly reports and the licence conditions of Ministerial Regulation No. 2.
- For a buyer: the obligations sit on the licensee. No public source we know of identifies a customer offence for buying flower without a prescription, though the draft Cannabis Control Act proposes a fine for non-medical use. Estimated
- For other plant parts and products: extracts sit on the narcotics track, and foods, cosmetics and medicines need Thai FDA approval. See extracts and the 0.2% THC line.
Why the status is fragile
Every retail rule since 2022 has been a notification, and notifications change by signature. The same ministerial route that took the plant off the narcotics list could put it back. Verified That is why investors watch the renewal calendar and the notifications, not only the bill. See Thailand's cannabis timeline.
Section 3 of the report, free to read, sets out the instruments a lawful flower sale rests on today.
Sources
- Section 3 of the 2026 report, The rules in force (free to read)
- Juslaws, Amendment to cannabis law on 25 June 2025
- Tilleke & Gibbins, Cannabis and Hemp Business Guide Thailand 2025
- Nation Thailand, Thai cabinet endorses draft cannabis control bill for medical use, 22 September 2026
This article is market intelligence, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change by notification; check the current text with the relevant authority or Thai counsel before you act.
In short
What does controlled herb mean?
It is a legal status under the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act. A controlled herb can be studied, sold or processed for commerce only with a licence and on the conditions set by notification.
Is cannabis a narcotic in Thailand?
The plant is not on the narcotics list since 9 June 2022. Extracts above 0.2% THC by weight still are.
Which part of the plant is controlled?
The flower, the inflorescence, raw or processed, since the second controlled-herb notification of November 2022.
Who sets the rules for controlled herbs?
The Minister of Public Health, by notification, with DTAM as the licensing authority.
Can the status change?
Yes, by a new notification. That is how the prescription rule arrived on 26 June 2025.
Want the numbers behind this?
This article gives you the argument. The figures, where they come from and how sure we are of each one are in the report.