Licences and rules
Who regulates cannabis in Thailand: DTAM, Thai FDA, ONCB and the Ministry
Thailand Cannabis Report · Reefers Club Co., Ltd. · Last checked 31 October 2026
There is no single cannabis regulator in Thailand. The flower, the extract, the finished product and the border each answer to a different agency, and most of the rules come from one ministry. Knowing who does what saves months in a licence application.
The Ministry of Public Health
The ministry sets cannabis policy. Most of the rules a business follows are ministerial notifications and regulations signed by the Minister of Public Health, such as the 2025 controlled-herb notification and Ministerial Regulation No. 2. Verified
DTAM
The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine licenses the flower as a controlled herb under the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act B.E. 2542 (1999). It grants, renews, suspends and revokes sale, processing and export licences, certifies GACP cultivation, runs the training for the worker every shop must have on duty and publishes the PT forms. Provincial public health offices handle much of the day-to-day licensing and inspection. Inspection powers were widened to provincial and local officials in 2026. Estimated
The Thai FDA
The Food and Drug Administration regulates foods, cosmetics, herbal products and medicines, including any made with cannabis or hemp, and licenses extraction. A product that reaches a shelf as a registered item has been through the FDA, whatever its ingredients. Verified
The ONCB and the Narcotics Control Board
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board leads drug control. Under the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 (2021), the Minister sets the Category 5 list by notification with the Narcotics Control Board's approval. That board's meeting on 22 October 2026 was where the Prime Minister announced tougher penalties. See what the October 2026 penalty pledge means.
Customs and the police
Customs controls imports and exports and raised the fine for cannabis export smuggling in June 2026. Police enforce the narcotics law, including on extracts and unlicensed sale.
Parliament
Parliament only enters when there is a bill. The draft Cannabis Control Act, approved by the Cabinet in principle on 22 September 2026, would move the core rules into an Act. See how the Cannabis Control Act becomes law.
Section 3 of the report, free to read, shows which instrument each rule comes from.
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
- The Star (Bernama), Thailand to tighten cannabis controls and propose tougher penalties, 22 October 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
Who licenses cannabis shops in Thailand?
DTAM, the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, under the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act, with provincial public health offices handling much of the work.
What does the Thai FDA do?
It regulates foods, cosmetics, herbal products and medicines, including those made with cannabis or hemp, and licenses extraction.
What is the ONCB's role?
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board leads drug control. The Narcotics Control Board approves changes to the narcotics lists.
Who decides the rules?
Most rules are ministerial notifications and regulations signed by the Minister of Public Health. A new Act would need Parliament.
Who enforces at the border?
Customs, which raised the fine for cannabis export smuggling in June 2026.
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.