CannIntelligence.com provides independent, in-depth regulatory and market data and intelligence for the global cannabis and cannabinoid sector.
LATEST ALERTS
View all Cannabis and cannabinoids in Thailand
News analysis
Current legal and regulatory news covering the cannabis industry
Regulatory reports
Comprehensive legal reports outlining how the sector is regulated, interpretation of the laws and relevant bodies
Market data
Up-to-date real-time information and insights on brands, pricing and retail across selected markets
Regulatory databases
Regularly updated global regulations currently in place, compiled into easy-to-read maps and tables
New trial available: Click on any alert below and access our regulatory alerts and get timely notifications sent to your inbox for 7 days.
Daily news alerts
Our legal experts track the evolving regulation around the cannabinoid and cannabis sector on a daily basis. These alerts are then compiled into our Round-up section.
22nd March 2023
Thailand: Prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has dissolved the parliament, press reports. This means that Thailand’s general election is expected on 7th or 14th May (to be announced next week) and that lower-house candidates can switch party affiliations 30 days before the election – instead of the usual 90 days – because of the early dissolution. The centre/centre-right Pheu Thai party, currently part of the opposition, is favoured to win, according to polls, with Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the top candidate for the prime minister’s post. Cannabis has been a major issue in the election, and has been deeply politicised in recent months. The Pheu Thai party has come out against the current government’s legalisation of cannabis. Although the Pheu Thai party opposes cannabis for recreational purposes, it has voiced support for medical cannabis in the past.17th March 2023
- Thailand: Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party and cannabis legalisation in Thailand, said that he expects his party to win 70 seats in the House of Representatives in the upcoming May election and that passage of a bill to regulate cannabis will be a condition to his party joining a coalition in the next government, press reports. The Bhumjaithai Party currently holds 59 out of 500 seats in the House and is part of the governing coalition. Charnvirakul's comments come amid vows by some opposition party leaders to repeal the descheduling of cannabis that took effect in June and comments by politicians within his own coalition to eliminate access to cannabis for non-medical purposes.
23rd February 2023
Thailand: A bill to regulate cannabis will not be passed during the current parliamentary session and will have to be addressed again in the new parliament after the 7th May elections, press reports. The Bhumjaithai Party, which has spearheaded cannabis legalisation efforts, say they will resubmit the bill in the next parliament. The government removed cannabis from its narcotics list last June but has not passed legislation to regulate it. Cannabis legalisation has become a hot-button issue for the upcoming election.
21st February 2023
Thailand: The Democrat Party, a member of the government coalition that currently holds 51 of 500 seats in the House of Representatives, is vowing to re-criminalise recreational cannabis and support medical use only in its campaign for the May election, press reports. The stance represents a break from the party’s pro-cannabis coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party. Cannabis legalisation has become a hot-button issue for the upcoming election and its fate could hang on election results.
19th January 2023
Thailand: The Thai House of Representatives failed to reach quorum on a vote on the Cannabis and Hemp Bill and was therefore unable to vote on the bill, press reports. Although enough representatives appeared to be present, several apparently did not vote, leading to an adjournment. This is the second delay on the bill in the House after it voted in September to withdraw it. The bill, which would regulate cannabis and hemp after the cannabis plant was removed from the country’s narcotics list, has clearly become a political controversy, bringing its passage into question.
16th December 2022
- Thailand: The Public Health Ministry will enact a series of measures to license, control, and track sales of cannabis flower beginning in January, press reports. Vendors of cannabis flower must obtain permission from the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) and provide information on their stock and sale of flowers that will be provided to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). Customers will be required to insert their ID card into a machine linked to the DTAM's online system that will verify that the customer is of legal age (20+) and will track transactions in real time.
24th November 2022
Thailand: The Ministry of Public Health has published restrictions on cannabis, effective immediately. The announcement restates some rules that were already in place, such as prohibiting cannabis sales to under-20s and to pregnant women, but also adds new restrictions. It prohibits the sale of cannabis for on-site consumption unless by a medical practitioner, as well as banning online and vending-machine sales, and advertisements for cannabis flower.
23rd November 2022
Thailand: Amid calls by some groups and politicians to place cannabis back on Thailand’s narcotics list, public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul dismissed the possibility of rescheduling cannabis and urged support for the Cannabis and Hemp Bill that is currently under consideration in Parliament, press reports.
14th November 2022
- Thailand: The Thai Department of Public Health has modified its edict on cannabis to clarify certain aspects of the law while a cannabis bill is being considered by Parliament, press reports. The new edict considers cannabis flower a controlled herb, which means that businesses must inform the government of details of stocks they hold, their sourcing, uses, and exports. Additionally, online sales and advertising are prohibited. The edict is not currently available in the Royal Gazette.
11th November 2022
- Thailand: Opposition parties and the Forensic Physician Association of Thailand (FPAT) are seeking an injunction from the Administrative Court to block enforcement of the Ministry of Public Health's decree that legalised cannabis and hemp, press reports. The petition for an injunction claims that the decree was issued without proper consideration and has led to widespread use of cannabis for recreational purposes.
3rd November 2022
- Thailand: The Democrat Party, which is part of the governing coalition, is calling for cannabis to be placed back on the country’s narcotics list and threatening to vote against the Cannabis and Hemp Bill put forth by the Bhumjaithai Party, another member of the governing coalition, press reports. Democrat Party leaders complain that none of their suggested modifications to the bill were incorporated into a revised version of the bill that is expected to have its second reading next week.
