Thailand Opens Public Comment on Cannabis Control Bill

Draft Law Would End Recreational Access

The draft Cannabis Control Act would ban recreational use and impose criminal penalties for non-medical possession. Only licensed medical facilities and registered patients could access cannabis products. The bill defines recreational use as any consumption outside of a doctor-patient relationship documented through Thailand's national health database.

The Public Health Ministry posted the draft on its official website for public feedback through July 8. Stakeholders can weigh in. According to the ministry's notice, dispensary operators, patients, and advocacy groups may submit written comments via an online portal or by mail to the ministry's Food and Drug Administration office in Nonthaburi.

Regulatory Reversal After Two-Year Experiment

Thailand decriminalized cannabis in June 2022, removing it from the narcotics list and sparking a retail boom that saw more than 6,000 dispensaries open nationwide. The move made Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to permit broad cannabis access, though the government never formalized a recreational framework. That regulatory gap left the market in legal limbo. Shops operated under unclear guidelines.

The current draft represents the Pheu Thai-led government's effort to close that gap by reasserting medical-only control. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin signaled the shift in late 2025, stating that cannabis policy needed "guardrails" to prevent youth access and public nuisance complaints. For full background on this story, see the CannIntel topic hub on Thailand Cannabis Regulation.

What Happens Next

If the bill advances after the comment period, it moves to the Cabinet for approval and then to Parliament for a vote, a process that typically takes three to six months. Industry observers expect pushback from the dispensary sector, which employs an estimated 20,000 workers and generated 15 billion baht in sales in 2025, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Enforcement won't begin before Q4 2026 at the earliest. That gives existing operators a narrow window to pivot toward medical licensing or exit the market. The ministry hasn't announced transition provisions or grandfather clauses for current license holders.

We'll be watching three indicators: the volume and tone of public comments, whether the Cabinet softens criminal penalties in response, and whether Thailand's Constitutional Court weighs in on retroactive application to existing businesses.