Thailand's cannabis timeline 2018 to 2026: every milestone by date

Thailand did not legalise cannabis once. It legalised it in stages, opened it in a week, and has been tightening it by notification ever since. Most of what governs a cannabis business today is not an Act of Parliament but a series of ministerial notifications and regulations. Here is each step, by date.

Dates are the days a rule came into force unless stated otherwise. The full record, with signing and gazette dates for each instrument, is in Section 3 of the report, free to read.

The milestones

25 December 2018. The National Legislative Assembly approves the Narcotics Act (seventh amendment) B.E. 2562.

19 February 2019. Medical cannabis is legalised. The amended Narcotics Act, published on 18 February, allows use for patient treatment and medical research under licence. Use for other purposes stays prohibited.

9 December 2021. The Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 (2021) takes effect, letting the Minister of Public Health set the Category 5 list by notification.

9 June 2022. The cannabis plant leaves the narcotics list. The Ministry of Public Health Notification Specifying Category 5 Narcotics B.E. 2565 (2022) was signed on 8 February and published on 9 February 2022. Extracts above 0.2% THC by weight stay on the list. Open retail begins.

15 June 2022. Cannabis smell or smoke is made a public nuisance.

17 June 2022. The whole plant becomes a controlled herb under the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act B.E. 2542 (1999). Selling it needs a section 46 licence. Estimated

24 November 2022. A second controlled herb notification, signed on 11 November and published on 23 November, narrows the listing to the flower and sets licence conditions.

18 January 2023. DTAM's PT series of forms is published, the formal route for flower licences and monthly reports.

20 March 2023. A 2022 cannabis bill lapses when the House is dissolved.

26 June 2025. The Ministry of Public Health Notification on Controlled Herb (Cannabis) B.E. 2568 (2025), signed on 23 June and published on 25 June, takes effect. Every flower sale needs a PT.33 prescription, flower must come from a compliant source, and online sale and advertising are banned.

1 August 2025. DTAM explicitly accepts a laboratory certificate of analysis for each harvest as a compliant source.

12 September 2025. A DTAM Director General notification, gazetted that day, makes the per harvest route formal.

31 December 2025. 5 in 6 licences due to renew in 2025 did not complete renewal. Verified

8 February 2026. General election, after the House was dissolved on 12 December 2025.

22 April to 17 July 2026. Public hearings on the Ministry's draft Cannabis Control Act, in three rounds.

25 April 2026. The extracts regulation, published on 26 March, takes effect. For medical and industrial production, import and export, it admits only a juristic person that is not foreign under the Foreign Business Act, a state agency or the Thai Red Cross Society.

30 April 2026. Ministerial Regulation No. 2 B.E. 2569, signed on 29 April and published the same day, takes effect with no commencement clause. It adds six qualifying routes and licence conditions at renewal.

17 June 2026. Customs applies a fine of THB 30,000 per kilogram seized in cannabis export smuggling.

22 June 2026. DTAM announces a penalty guideline: suspensions of 30 days and 90 days, revocation on repeat. Estimated

5 July and 9 July 2026. Two MPs' bills are announced or filed. One would limit use to medical purposes. The other would treat non medical cannabis as a narcotic. Estimated

7 August 2026. The Ministry of Public Health sends its draft Cannabis Control Act to the Cabinet.

22 September 2026. The Cabinet approves the draft in principle. The draft is with the Council of State for review.

10 October 2026. The prescribed DTAM form takes effect for applications to sell, process or export flower.

22 October 2026. The Prime Minister, after chairing the Narcotics Control Board, says Narcotics Code amendments would raise cannabis penalties and licences would be renewed only after inspection.

31 December 2026. Licences issued in 2024 expire and face the new renewal test. 37.5% of licences in force face renewal. Verified

31 December 2027. Licences issued in 2025 expire.

31 December 2028. Every licence in force reaches its statutory expiry. Verified

Four periods

• Medical by licence, from 19 February 2019 to 8 June 2022.
• Open retail, from 9 June 2022 to 25 June 2025.
• Prescription regime, from 26 June 2025 to the day a new Act takes effect.
• After a new Act, from the day the Cannabis Control Act or another bill takes effect, if one does.

What the timeline tells you

Two things. First, every retail rule since 2022 has been a notification or regulation, and those change by signature, as the prescription rule did on 26 June 2025. The Minister who took the plant off the list in 2022 used a power that could put it back the same way. Verified

Second, licence expiry dates, not the bill, decide which shops are still trading after 2028. After the Council of State the draft goes to the House Coordination Committee, then to the House and the Senate, and the Cabinet resolution sets no timeline. A licensee that files before expiry may carry on until the licensor decides, under section 49, and a revoked licensee may not apply for any licence for two years, under section 54. Verified See the licence renewal checklist and how the Cannabis Control Act becomes law.

If you cite Thai cannabis law

1. Use the dated rule, not the headline.
2. Check each date against the Royal Gazette before you rely on it in a contract or filing.
3. Map your own licence expiry onto the calendar above.

If you want the calendar applied to a business you are looking at, start with a call.

Sources

• Section 3 of the 2026 report, The rules in force (free to read)
• Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act B.E. 2542 (1999), English translation, sections 46, 49 and 54
• CNBC (Reuters), Thailand approves medical marijuana in New Year's gift, 25 December 2018
• Law Plus, Thai law on medical use of cannabis, April 2019
• Government Public Relations Department, Announcement on the dissolution of the House of Representatives, 12 December 2025
• Government Public Relations Department, Upcoming general election in Thailand scheduled for 8 February 2026
• Nation Thailand, New cannabis hemp extract rules take effect, limiting use to four purposes, 28 April 2026
• Nation Thailand, Thai cabinet endorses draft cannabis control bill for medical use, 23 September 2026
• Pattaya Mail, Thailand targets cannabis traffickers with new per kilo trafficking penalty, 19 June 2026
• Thairath, DTAM issues administrative orders increasing penalties for cannabis shops, 22 June 2026
• The Star (Bernama), Thailand to tighten cannabis controls and propose tougher penalties, 22 October 2026
• JusLaws, Amendment to cannabis law on 25 June 2025, 30 June 2025

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.