Cannabis-Hemp Act 2026 Draft Legislation (Thailand)
The Cannabis-Hemp Act of Thailand is draft legislation under parliamentary consideration following the 2024 Pheu Thai-led government's decision to reverse the 2022 decriminalisation policy. The draft Act aims to re-criminalise recreational cannabis use while preserving legal frameworks for medical-use prescriptions, licensed dispensaries, industrial hemp cultivation (under 1 percent THC), and R&D applications. The legislative process has been contested, with the cannabis industry, tourism operators, and medical advocates lobbying for a regulated recreational tier, while public-health and drug-enforcement advocates push for tighter restrictions. The Act's final form will determine the viability of Thailand's cannabis tourism sector, medical-cannabis export potential, and the GACP-certified cultivation industry. Regulatory uncertainty has already caused significant market contraction since late 2023.
Snapshot
Headline numbers a buyer checks first.
Legislative status
Draft; stalled as of Oct 2025
October 2025
Multiple readings; contested by industry and public-health advocates
Key provision: recreational use
Re-criminalised under draft
2025 draft
Industrial hemp THC limit
<1% THC preserved
2025 draft
Industrial hemp exemption maintained in all draft versions
Peak dispensary count (pre-draft)
~6,000–18,000
2022-2023
Registered with Thai FDA at peak; majority closed or non-compliant by 2025
Profile overview
The Cannabis-Hemp Act of Thailand is draft legislation under parliamentary consideration following the 2024 Pheu Thai-led government's decision to reverse the 2022 decriminalisation policy. The draft Act aims to re-criminalise recreational cannabis use while preserving legal frameworks for medical-use prescriptions, licensed dispensaries, industrial hemp cultivation (under 1 percent THC), and R&D applications. The legislative process has been contested, with the cannabis industry, tourism operators, and medical advocates lobbying for a regulated recreational tier, while public-health and drug-enforcement advocates push for tighter restrictions. The Act's final form will determine the viability of Thailand's cannabis tourism sector, medical-cannabis export potential, and the GACP-certified cultivation industry. Regulatory uncertainty has already caused significant market contraction since late 2023.
Key policy segments
Medical cannabis
Licensed medical-use tier
The draft Act preserves Thai FDA-licensed dispensaries for medical-cannabis prescription. An estimated 1,500–2,500 compliant dispensaries would be grandfathered under a tighter regulatory framework with mandatory healthcare-provider oversight.
Industrial hemp
Hemp cultivation under 1% THC
Industrial hemp with THC below 1% is preserved across all draft versions. This protects the hemp-fibre, hemp-seed, and hemp-food export segments from the recreational policy reversal.
GACP cultivation
Good Agricultural and Collection Practices
GACP-certified cultivation for pharmaceutical-grade cannabis is maintained. Thailand's ambition to become a medical-cannabis export hub under GMP licensing depends on GACP supply-chain integrity surviving the legislative process.
Tourism zone
Contested tourist-zone recreational tier
Coalition partners from tourism constituencies have lobbied for a regulated adult-use tier in designated tourist zones (e.g. Phuket, Samui, Pattaya). This provision remains contested and is not in the conservative draft version.
Cannabis-Hemp Act: provision scenarios
Regulatory outcomes by draft version, 2025
Recreational use
Current status (ministerial orders)
Grey-zone tolerated
Draft Act (conservative)
Re-criminalised
Draft Act (tourist-zone tier)
Regulated; licensed zones
Medical dispensary
Current status (ministerial orders)
Thai FDA licence required
Draft Act (conservative)
Maintained; tighter rules
Draft Act (tourist-zone tier)
Maintained; tighter rules
Industrial hemp (<1% THC)
Current status (ministerial orders)
Permitted
Draft Act (conservative)
Preserved
Draft Act (tourist-zone tier)
Preserved
GACP cultivation
Current status (ministerial orders)
Thai FDA certified
Draft Act (conservative)
Maintained
Draft Act (tourist-zone tier)
Maintained
Export (medical)
Current status (ministerial orders)
GPO-only pathway
Draft Act (conservative)
Expanded via GMP licensing
Draft Act (tourist-zone tier)
Expanded via GMP licensing
Tourism cannabis products
Current status (ministerial orders)
Tolerated in grey-zone
Draft Act (conservative)
Banned
Draft Act (tourist-zone tier)
Permitted in designated zones
| Provision | Current status (ministerial orders) | Draft Act (conservative) | Draft Act (tourist-zone tier) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreational use | Grey-zone tolerated | Re-criminalised | Regulated; licensed zones |
| Medical dispensary | Thai FDA licence required | Maintained; tighter rules | Maintained; tighter rules |
| Industrial hemp (<1% THC) | Permitted | Preserved | Preserved |
| GACP cultivation | Thai FDA certified | Maintained | Maintained |
| Export (medical) | GPO-only pathway | Expanded via GMP licensing | Expanded via GMP licensing |
| Tourism cannabis products | Tolerated in grey-zone | Banned | Permitted in designated zones |
Watchpoints 2025–2026
Legislative timeline
Act passage and effective date
The draft remains stalled as of October 2025. Each month of delay extends legal grey-zone conditions that deter investment in compliant dispensaries, GACP cultivation, and medical-export licensing.
Tourism lobby
Tourist-zone recreational tier
If Pheu Thai coalition partners from tourism constituencies successfully insert a regulated adult-use zone provision, it would create a bifurcated market: strict national rules with liberalised resort-zone exemptions similar to Thailand's entertainment-venue framework.
Medical export
GMP export licensing development
Thailand's ambition to build a $0.58-30B medical-cannabis export industry requires the Act to establish a clear GMP-export licensing regime. Delay means competitor jurisdictions (Australia, Germany, Malta) capture market share in EU medical channels.
Legislative framework snapshot
Policy reversal
2022 decriminalisation and the rollback
The June 2022 removal of cannabis from Category 5 narcotics created an overnight dispensary boom: 6,000–18,000 shops registered. The Pheu Thai-led government from August 2023 moved to reverse course, with PM Srettha and then PM Paetongtarn signalling recriminalisation.
Market impact
Market contraction under uncertainty
Regulatory uncertainty since late 2023 caused an estimated 70–85% contraction in the dispensary count. GACP cultivator investment halted. Medical tourism operators offering cannabis wellness packages have largely paused pending the Act's final form.
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