Licences and rules
Thai traditional medicine and cannabis: the other legal route
Thailand Cannabis Report · Reefers Club Co., Ltd. · Last checked 31 October 2026
Thai cannabis law grew out of Thai traditional medicine, not out of Western pharmacy. The controlled-herb licence sits under the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act, traditional practitioners can prescribe, and a folk healer certificate can be the credential a shop needs to keep its licence.
Traditional practitioners can prescribe
Three of the seven groups that can issue a PT.33 come from traditional medicine: Thai traditional medicine practitioners, applied Thai traditional medicine practitioners and folk healers. Chinese medicine practitioners are a fourth non-Western group. Verified See who can write a PT.33.
The traditional route to a flower licence
Ministerial Regulation No. 2, in force since 30 April 2026, restricts a flower sale licence to applicants with a qualifying underlying credential. Two of the qualifying credentials connect to medicine: a medical facility licence, which includes clinics, and a folk healer certificate. Verified For many shop owners, a traditional medicine clinic or a folk healer partner is the realistic way to meet the test. See what the 30 April 2026 rules changed.
Clinics and supervision
DTAM's guidance for a medical cannabis service establishment calls for a licensed healthcare professional to oversee operations, from among physicians, pharmacists, dentists and Thai traditional medicine practitioners. Supervising a clinic and prescribing on a PT.33 are different requirements. Estimated
Where the law is heading
As reported, the draft Cannabis Control Act would require shops to become medical facilities to renew. Estimated If it passes in that form, the medical and traditional medicine routes stop being one option among several and become the main route. See converting a dispensary into a compliant clinic.
Section 3 of the report, free to read, sets out the eligibility list and the prescribing groups.
Sources
- Section 3 of the 2026 report, The rules in force (free to read)
- Nation Thailand, Thai cabinet endorses draft cannabis control bill for medical use, 22 September 2026
- Thairath, DTAM guideline on administrative orders for cannabis shops, 22 June 2026
- Tilleke & Gibbins, Cannabis and Hemp Business Guide Thailand 2025
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
Can Thai traditional medicine practitioners prescribe cannabis?
Yes. Thai traditional medicine and applied Thai traditional medicine practitioners are among the seven groups that can issue a PT.33.
Are folk healers part of the system?
Yes. Folk healers are a prescribing group, and a folk healer certificate is on the eligibility list for a flower licence.
Why does the traditional route matter for shops?
Because a medical facility licence or folk healer certificate can be the underlying credential a flower licence now needs.
Which law governs it?
The Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act, which also licenses the flower as a controlled herb, alongside the professional laws for practitioners.
Does the draft Act change this?
As reported, the draft points shops towards becoming medical facilities, which makes the medical and traditional routes more important.
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.