Is Cannabis Legal in Phuket? Prescription Rule and Penalties
Cannabis flower is a controlled herb. A licensed seller may sell it to a person holding a prescription from a listed professional, for medical benefit, with a quantity usable for no more than thirty days. Selling through a vending machine or online is prohibited. Most extracts, apart from licensed ones with THC up to 0.2 percent, are Category 5 narcotics.
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Cannabis flower is a controlled herb in Thailand. A licensed seller may sell it to you only if you hold a prescription from one of the listed professionals.
The prescription must set a quantity usable for no more than thirty days. The announcement behind this rule was published in the Royal Gazette on 25 June 2025 and applies from the day after publication. In practice that means you buy in person from a licensed seller, never through a vending machine or online, and you treat extracts as a separate and much riskier matter, because most of them are Category 5 narcotics.
The rule in force today
The Ministry of Public Health announcement on controlled herb (cannabis) is dated 23 June 2025. It repeals the 2022 announcement dated 11 November 2022. It names only the flower cluster of the cannabis plant as a controlled herb.
Selling for trade is limited to licensed sellers. The announcement’s rule that a licensee sells only to Section 46 licence holders does not cover sales to a person holding a prescription, as the clause below says.
การจำหน่ายสมุนไพรควบคุมเพื่อการค้าตามวรรคหนึ่ง (๓) ไม่รวมถึงกรณีการจำหน่ายสมุนไพรควบคุมให้กับบุคคลใด ๆ ที่มีใบสั่งจ่ายโดยผู้ประกอบวิชาชีพเวชกรรม … ผู้ประกอบวิชาชีพเภสัชกรรมตามกฎหมายว่าด้วยวิชาชีพเภสัชกรรม และผู้ประกอบวิชาชีพทันตกรรมตามกฎหมายว่าด้วยวิชาชีพทันตกรรม เพื่อประโยชน์ทางการแพทย์
Selling a controlled herb for trade under paragraph one (3) does not include selling it to any person who holds a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, a pharmacist or a dental practitioner, among the listed professionals, for medical benefit.
Ministry of Public Health announcement, Controlled Herb (Cannabis) B.E. 2568, Clause 4
How to buy legally
- Get a prescription from a medical doctor, Thai traditional medicine practitioner, applied Thai traditional medicine practitioner, folk healer, Chinese medicine practitioner, pharmacist or dentist.
- Make sure the quantity is the amount needed for your treatment, usable for no more than thirty days.
- Buy only from a seller holding a Section 46 licence, because selling a controlled herb for trade requires one.
- Buy in person: selling through a vending machine, electronic channels or a computer network is prohibited.
- Do not expect to smoke at the counter, since selling for smoking at the licensed premises is prohibited, except by listed professionals treating their own patients.
What is allowed and what is not
| Situation | Status |
|---|---|
| Selling flower for trade without a Section 46 licence | Not allowed |
| Selling to a person with a prescription from a listed professional, for medical benefit | Allowed |
| Selling through a vending machine or online | Not allowed |
| Advertising for trade, through any channel | Not allowed |
| Selling for trade at temples, dormitories, public parks, zoos and amusement parks | Not allowed |
| Selling for smoking at the licensed premises | Not allowed, except by listed professionals for their own patients |
Penalties for unlicensed sellers
These penalties come from the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Protection and Promotion Act and concern selling, exporting, researching or processing without a licence. Anyone who violates Section 46 faces up to one year in prison, a fine of up to twenty thousand baht, or both.
Smoke and smell nuisance
A 2022 Ministry of Public Health announcement says causing the smell or smoke of cannabis, hemp or any other plant, except plants controlled by other law, is a nuisance under the public health law. That applies when it harms or may endanger the health of people living nearby or those who must be exposed to it.
It was published on 14 June 2022 and applies from the day after publication. So smoke that drifts onto a neighbour’s balcony is the situation to avoid.
Extracts and the Narcotics Code
The 2022 Category 5 announcement names extracts from every part of the cannabis or hemp plant as Category 5 narcotics. It excepts extracts with THC not more than 0.2 percent by weight that are licensed to be extracted from domestically grown plants, and extracts from seeds of domestically grown plants.
The Narcotics Code penalties below apply to Category 5 narcotics, not to the controlled-herb flower rule above.
| Offence | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Producing, importing, exporting, selling or possessing, in breach of Section 93 (Section 148) | Up to five years in prison and a fine of up to five hundred thousand baht |
| The same offence for trade, among the public, to a person aged eighteen or under, or in the other listed cases | One to fifteen years in prison and a fine of one hundred thousand to one million five hundred thousand baht |
| Taking a Category 5 narcotic (Section 162) | Up to one year in prison, a fine of up to twenty thousand baht, or both |
| Possessing for consumption (Section 164) | Up to two years in prison, a fine of up to forty thousand baht, or both |
Bringing cannabis in or out
Do not import herbal products containing cannabis or hemp. The 2022 import announcement prohibits importing herbal products that are cannabis or hemp plants, contain parts of the plant, or contain its extracts, with exceptions.
Narcotics are an example of prohibited goods, meaning goods that may not be imported into or exported out of Thailand. Exporting a controlled herb requires a licence. For other medicines, read Pharmacies in Phuket: Rules for Foreigners.
If something goes wrong
The Tourist Police Bureau home page carries the 1155 tourist hotline. For scams and other safety problems, see Phuket Safety and Scams: Who to Call and What to Avoid.
Step by step
- Get a prescriptionIt must come from a medical doctor, Thai traditional medicine practitioner, applied Thai traditional medicine practitioner, folk healer, Chinese medicine practitioner, pharmacist or dentist.
- Check the quantityThe prescription must set a quantity usable for no more than thirty days.
- Choose a licensed sellerA seller needs a licence: selling a controlled herb for trade requires a licence under Section 46.
- Skip online and vending-machine sellersSelling a controlled herb through those channels is prohibited.
Not confirmed: Medical certificate: unclear whether one is also needed with the prescription; ask the seller which documents to bring. Age, pregnancy and student limits: none found in the texts; ask the seller. Smoke-nuisance penalty: no amount confirmed; keep smoke away from neighbours.
Common questions
Can I bring cannabis into Thailand?
Do not import herbal products containing cannabis or hemp. Narcotics are an example of prohibited goods, which may not be imported into or exported out of Thailand.
Can I order cannabis online or from a vending machine?
Selling a controlled herb, or a product processed from it, for trade through a vending machine, electronic channels or a computer network is prohibited.
Can I smoke at the shop where I buy it?
Selling a controlled herb for smoking at the licensed premises is prohibited, except by listed professionals selling it for use in treating their own patients.
Which professionals can write the prescription?
The announcement lists a medical doctor, Thai traditional medicine practitioner, applied Thai traditional medicine practitioner, folk healer, Chinese medicine practitioner, pharmacist and dentist.
Does the licence penalty apply to the person who buys?
Section 46 covers researching, exporting, selling and processing a controlled herb for trade. Section 78 sets the penalty for violating Section 46.
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General information checked against the sources listed above. Prices, opening hours and other details change; confirm them with the provider before you act. See how guides are checked.
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