Can a dispensary allow smoking on site? Lounges, cafés and bars after 2025

For three years the cannabis lounge was the model Thai shops copied: buy at the counter, smoke on the sofa. That model is over. Under the rules in force, a licensed seller that lets customers smoke on its premises risks losing the licence outright, not a warning or a short suspension.

What the rules say

Three instruments now meet in one place:

• The nuisance rule. Cannabis smell or smoke was made a public nuisance from 15 June 2022. Verified
• The 2025 controlled-herb notification. In force from 26 June 2025, it brought in the prescription for every flower sale and banned smoking at the place of sale, alongside bans on online sales and advertising. Verified
• The penalty guideline. Announced by DTAM on 22 June 2026, it lists allowing smoking on the premises among the breaches that lead to revocation, not suspension. Estimated

A revoked licensee cannot apply for any licence under the Act for two years. Verified

Why the odour rule still applies

Ministerial Regulation No. 2, in force since 30 April 2026, requires every flower licensee to run an effective odour and smoke removal system. It is one of the five checks at renewal. Stored flower smells, and neighbours complain, so this is a condition even for a shop where nobody smokes. See the licence renewal checklist.

What about lounges, cafés and bars?

• A lounge attached to a licensed shop is the clearest breach: smoking at the place of sale.
• A café or bar that sells flower is a seller, so the same ban applies.
• A venue that does not sell, where customers bring their own, still meets the nuisance rule, and any licence it holds for other activities brings its own conditions. Take legal advice before planning around it.
• Food and drink made with cannabis fall under separate Thai FDA and food rules. Those rules do not make smoking lawful.

The draft Cannabis Control Act, approved by the Cabinet in principle on 22 September 2026, points further in the medical direction, not back towards lounges. Estimated

What this means for operators and investors

• A shop's lounge, sofa area or smoking terrace is now a revocation risk, not a selling point.
• If you are buying a shop, ask whether customers smoke on site. If they do, price in the risk of losing the licence. See questions to ask before buying a dispensary.
• Hospitality businesses that want a cannabis offer need a model that does not depend on on-site smoking.

The full list of licence conditions and the penalty path is in Section 3 of the report, free to read.

Sources

• Section 3 of the 2026 report, The rules in force (free to read)
• Thairath, DTAM guideline on administrative orders for cannabis shops, 22 June 2026
• Juslaws, Amendment to cannabis law on 25 June 2025
• Nation Thailand, Thai cabinet endorses draft cannabis control bill for medical use, 22 September 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.