In June 2025, Thailand enacted a significant regulatory shift, transitioning from a loosely regulated framework to a strictly medical model. A Ministerial Notification dated 25 June 2025, published in the Royal Gazette, reaffirmed that cannabis flower remains a controlled herb. Recreational sales are now banned, and medical cannabis is limited to prescription-based access from licensed healthcare professionals (Ministry of Public Health, 2025).
This reform impacts every part of the cannabis supply chain—from cultivation to retail. Below, we outline the legal changes, operational impact, and how a digital compliance system can support businesses adapting to this new reality.
According to Juslaws & Consult (2025), the 25 June announcement was accompanied by a detailed clarification of new rules and compliance pathways. While cannabis remains a controlled herb, the updated regulations formalize the responsibilities of licensed stakeholders—especially medical professionals, dispensaries, and cultivators.
Key changes include a required medical prescription for all cannabis purchases, specified qualifying conditions, and mandatory monthly reporting. The government clarified that its intention is not to criminalize cannabis broadly, but to structure its use within a regulated, medicinal framework aligned with public health objectives.
The Ministry of Public Health issued a legal notice in the Royal Gazette on 25 June 2025, which maintained the classification of cannabis flower as a controlled herbal substance. From this date, only medical practitioners—including doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and Thai traditional medicine providers—are allowed to prescribe cannabis.
The full notification can be accessed via the official Royal Gazette website (in Thai).
This policy refinement responds to growing concerns over youth exposure, misuse by tourists, and the unchecked expansion of cannabis shops since 2022 (Reuters, 2025; CNN, 2025; Aerzteblatt, 2025). Authorities aim to reinforce a medical-use-only model grounded in public health (Al Jazeera, 2025; Nation Thailand, 2025a).
According to statements by Minister of Public Health Somsak Thepsuthin during a press conference on 25 June at the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, the government intends to support legitimate medical cannabis businesses through this regulatory transition. “The government will fully support legitimate medicinal cannabis businesses,” he said (CannaReporter, 2025). The minister emphasized that cannabis will not be reclassified as a narcotic unless non-compliance persists, and noted that businesses adhering to medical-use standards will not be penalized. The policy is meant to establish a compliance-driven adaptation period rather than an abrupt ban.
To operate legally, cannabis cultivators must:
With regulators requiring accurate and accessible documentation, maintaining compliance manually is increasingly risky. A digital traceability system ensures:
In parallel, digital batch recording allows operators to log every key stage of cultivation and production—from propagation and flowering to harvest, drying, and packaging. This enables traceability at the batch level, supports internal quality audits, and ensures that every lot can be linked back to compliant processes—essential for both DTAM audits and international standards like EU-GMP.
Under the revised law, dispensaries must now operate as medical service providers with clearly defined responsibilities:
Managing this level of control across hundreds or thousands of transactions each month requires more than paper records. A digital dispensing system can:
This digitization reduces error, speeds compliance processes, and protects against enforcement risks.
One essential part of Thailand’s traceability system under the 2025 cannabis regulation is the Phor.Tor. 27 form. This official monthly document is required for dispensaries to declare their purchases of cannabis flower, verifying that all products were sourced from DTAM-registered, GACP-certified cultivators.
Phor.Tor. 27 is part of a broader compliance framework that includes:
Failure to maintain or submit these forms can result in fines, license suspension, or legal action. Manually tracking these transactions is not only labor-intensive—it also increases the risk of compliance errors.
A digital compliance system simplifies this process. It can automatically generate Phor.Tor. reports from inventory and transaction data, ensure only GACP-verified sources are used, and deliver complete, audit-ready records.
The new rules are being actively enforced. Authorities have already begun inspecting dispensaries and shutting down non-compliant operations, particularly in Bangkok and Chiang Mai (Nation Thailand, 2025b; Bangkok Post, 2025; Al Jazeera, 2025).
Thailand’s 2025 cannabis reform doesn’t just restrict—it redefines what a professional cannabis business looks like. Medical-grade processes, traceable supply chains, and audit-ready records are no longer optional.
For operators navigating this shift, investing in digital infrastructure offers real advantages:
In a newly regulated medical cannabis market, the ability to move quickly, accurately, and transparently is a competitive edge.
Beyond compliance, this shift opens up new commercial opportunities for operators who integrate medical services with cannabis dispensing. Models that combine licensed clinics with on-site dispensaries offer a compliant, vertically integrated solution—streamlining the patient experience while aligning with regulatory demands. Operators who move early in this direction will be best positioned to lead in Thailand’s evolving cannabis landscape.
Juslaws & Consult (2025). Amendment to Cannabis Laws: 25 June 2025. [online] Available at: https://www.juslaws.com/articles/amendment-cannabis-laws-25-june-2025
AP News (2025). Thailand starts banning the sale of cannabis without a prescription. [online] Available at: https://apnews.com/article/04b9dc73d43a172cac2da04f0117ab3b
Asahi/AP (2025). Thailand takes further step to tighten control on sales of cannabis. The Asahi Shimbun, 26 June.
Ministry of Public Health (2025). Ministerial Notification on cannabis reclassification (Royal Gazette). [online] Available at: https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/
Nation Thailand (2025a). Thailand reclassifies cannabis bud as a controlled herb, restricts sales and advertising. 26 June.
Nation Thailand (2025b). Cannabis businesses in Thailand must adapt to stricter medical-only model. [online] Available at: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/policy/40051766
Reuters (2025). Thailand moves to recriminalise cannabis, shaking $1 billion industry. [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/thailand-moves-recriminalise-cannabis-shaking-1-bln-industry-2025-06-25
CNN (2025). Thailand’s cannabis U-turn leaves tourists confused and businesses frustrated. [online] Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/28/travel/thailand-cannabis-laws-tourism-intl-hnk
Al Jazeera (2025). As Thailand does U-turn on legal cannabis, businesses scramble to survive. [online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/7/2/as-thailand-does-u-turn-on-legal-cannabis-businesses-scramble-to-survive
Bangkok Post (2025). Chafing under medical marijuana changes. [online] Available at: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/3061900/chafing-under-medical-marijuana-changes
Aerzteblatt (2025). Thailand will Cannabisregeln wieder verschärfen. [online] Available at: https://www.aerzteblatt.de/news/thailand-will-cannabisregeln-wieder-verscharfen-0cb2d41c-ae57-4977-bc20-af8103ddf888
CannaReporter (2025). Thailand’s new cannabis regulation isn’t as bad as it seems. [online] Available at: https://cannareporter.eu/en/2025/07/04/tailandia-nova-regulamentacao-da-canabis-nao-e-tao-ma-quanto-parece-saiba-o-que-realmente-esta-em-causa-no-pais/
