Intelligence

Last week at the International Asian Hemp Expo in Thailand, I witnessed the remarkable energy and potential of a country that has boldly positioned itself at the forefront of cannabis reform in Asia.

Until June 9, 2022, cannabis and hemp were classified as category 5 narcotics under Thailand's 1979 Narcotics Act and later the Narcotics Code.

Liberal cannabis access in Thailand is officially over. On June 26, 2025, the Ministry of Public Health brought the inflorescence of cannabis back under tight control through its new Notification on Controlled Herbs (Cannabis) 2025 ("Notification 2025").

Three years after Thailand became the first Asian nation to decriminalize cannabis, its groundbreaking policy may collapse under political turmoil.

While cannabis for medical use has been legal in Thailand since 2018, the real boom in Thailand for cannabis commerce was when it was decriminalized on 9 June 2022.

Since the June 9, 2022, delisting of all parts of the cannabis plant according to the Narcotics Code, there has been an explosion of cannabis dispensaries operating in Thailand.