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Cannabis Rules in Thailand: Prescription Needed in Samui
· Luxy Samui
Since June 2025 cannabis flower in Thailand is a controlled herb sold only on prescription, and tourists are told to avoid it.
Thailand tightened its cannabis rules in late June 2025. Cannabis flower is now classed as a controlled herb, and shops may sell it only to customers who hold a prescription. The rules apply across the country, and so also to visitors on Koh Samui.
What changed
The order was signed by the Health Minister at the time, Somsak Thepsutin, and took effect after it was published in the Royal Gazette, according to a report carried by Courthouse News on 27 June 2025. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in a notice for tourists, gives 23 June 2025 as the date from which the flower is a controlled substance.
Under the new rules, a shop may sell only a limited amount to a person with a valid prescription. The TAT notice says the amount must match what is medically needed and must not be more than a 30-day supply.
Who can write a prescription
According to the TAT notice, the prescription must be issued in Thailand by a licensed professional. It lists practitioners of Thai traditional medicine, Chinese medicine and dentistry. The notice also states that recreational use was never legally permitted in Thailand, and that cannabis is meant for medical, research and health purposes.
The TAT lists several things that are not allowed:
- buying, possessing or using cannabis flower without authorisation;
- online sales, vending machines and advertising;
- sales in places such as temples, dormitories, parks, zoos and amusement venues.
Penalties and what may come next
Courthouse News reported that sellers who break the rule risk up to one year in prison and a fine of 20,000 baht. It also reported that about 18,000 shops held a licence to sell cannabis at the time. The minister said he would like to list cannabis as a narcotic again in the future, so stricter rules are possible.
Thailand removed cannabis from its narcotics list in 2022, the first country in Asia to do so. The report says thousands of dispensaries opened afterwards, and that this was followed by public criticism that weak regulation had made the drug available to children.
What it means for your stay
The TAT's message to visitors is plain: it urges tourists to be careful and to avoid buying or using cannabis flower, and to ask licensed medical providers or official sources if they have questions. A shop that is open is not proof that a purchase is legal for you.
These rules have changed several times since 2022 and may change again. Check the current official rule before you travel; the TAT notice gives the Food and Drug Administration hotline, 1556. For other practical points about a Koh Samui holiday, see our questions about booking a villa.
