Thailand’s burgeoning cannabis industry, which exploded following decriminalization in 2022, is facing significant disruption. A sweeping reversal of policy, set to take effect on Thursday, June 26, 2025, will mandate that purchases require a medical prescription, effectively dismantling the recreational market. This abrupt shift has plunged the sector into chaos, drawing sharp criticism from stakeholders and pro-cannabis activists alike. The move impacts an estimated 10,000 to 18,000 dispensaries that have opened nationwide since the initial policy change.
Policy Shift and Industry Boom
Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to decriminalize cannabis in 2022, a decision that fueled rapid growth and investment, transforming empty shopfronts into vibrant dispensaries. However, the policy’s implementation led to a proliferation of recreational use, which proved controversial. The political landscape shifted recently when the pro-weed Bhumjaithai Party left the ruling coalition last week. This change opened the door for the dominant Pheu Thai Party, led by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to push forward with its pledge to limit cannabis use strictly to medical purposes, a promise made during their election campaign.
Navigating the New Restrictions
The new regulations introduce stringent requirements for the cannabis supply chain and sales points. From June 26, 2025, dispensaries will only be permitted to sell cannabis products sourced from farms holding government “Good Agricultural and Collection Practices” (GACP) certifications. Furthermore, sales to individual customers will be capped at a 30-day supply, requiring presentation of a valid medical prescription. These rules are intended to steer the market back towards its intended medical-only framework, but industry players argue the transition is proving immensely difficult.
Business Owners Voice Concerns
The sudden imposition of these rules has left many business owners reeling. Rattapon Sanrak, who operates Highland Cafe, a well-known establishment, expressed significant concerns. He highlights the dual challenge of potentially high compliance costs associated with the new regulations and the current lack of a sufficiently large supply of cannabis from farms that have already obtained GACP certifications. Sanrak and others fear that these obstacles will cripple legitimate businesses, potentially pushing sales back into the unregulated, underground market that the 2022 decriminalization aimed to dismantle. Businesses across the country have reported being blindsided by the abruptness of the implementation timeline.
Government’s Stance and Future Measures
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin has been a key figure in advocating for the tighter controls. He has not only confirmed the upcoming prescription requirement but has also articulated plans for potentially even more drastic measures. These include exploring the possibility of relisting cannabis as an illegal narcotic and drafting future regulations that could mandate the presence of a doctor on site at dispensaries to oversee medical prescriptions and sales. These potential steps signal a strong governmental intent to drastically curtail the plant’s accessibility outside of a strict medical framework.
Opposition Mounts Against Regulations
The policy reversal has ignited significant opposition from groups that champion broad access to cannabis. Pro-cannabis activists argue that the new rules are overly restrictive and will harm a nascent, legitimate industry. An advocacy group known as “Writing Thailand’s Cannabis Future” has announced plans to stage a protest on July 7 at the Public Health Ministry in Bangkok. The group contends that the requirement for medical prescriptions, coupled with the rapid implementation, could inadvertently foster corruption, particularly through the proliferation of easily obtainable, potentially fraudulent medical prescriptions designed solely to bypass the restrictions.
Conclusion: As the deadline of Thursday, June 26, 2025, approaches, Thailand’s cannabis industry finds itself in a state of profound uncertainty and chaos. The government’s firm pivot back to a medical-only model, driven by political shifts and concerns over recreational use, presents significant operational and financial challenges for the thousands of businesses that emerged under the previous, more liberal regime. The coming weeks are likely to see continued debate and potential unrest as stakeholders grapple with the drastic changes and the looming threat of further restrictions, including the potential relisting of cannabis as an illegal substance.
