Cannabis in Chiang Mai for Tourists: What Is Legal Now

No, not for recreation. Cannabis flower is a controlled herb that a licensed seller may hand over only against a prescription for medical use. A prescription covers no more than 30 days. Taking any out of Thailand is illegal without export permission, and fines start at THB 30,000 per kilogram.

Recreational cannabis is not legal in Thailand, and a walk-in dispensary is not a legal shortcut either: the buds are sold against a Thai prescription for medical use, and none of it may leave the country. This page is for visitors and short-stay residents; if you want a treatment plan with cannabis, talk to a Thai clinic first, because a licensed seller may sell to a person who holds a prescription. For ordinary medicines, see Pharmacies in Chiang Mai.

Can you buy cannabis as a tourist?

You can buy it only with a Thai prescription for medical use; buying for recreation is illegal. The rule that matters is a Ministry of Public Health notice that the Royal Gazette published on 25 June 2025 and that applied from the next day. It repealed the 2022 notice and narrowed the target to the flower, the bud part of the plant, which is the controlled herb.

A licensed seller may sell that herb to a person holding a prescription for medical benefit, and a prescription may not exceed 30 days of use. So a visitor who simply walks in and asks for a gram has no prescription, and without one buying is not allowed.

ให้กัญชา ซึ่งเป็นพืชในสกุล Cannabis วงศ์ Cannabaceae เฉพาะส่วนของช่อดอก เป็นสมุนไพรควบคุม

Cannabis, a plant of the genus Cannabis, family Cannabaceae, only the flower (bud) part, is a controlled herb.

ไม่รวมถึงกรณีการจำหน่ายสมุนไพรควบคุมให้กับบุคคลใด ๆ ที่มีใบสั่งจ่ายโดยผู้ประกอบวิชาชีพเวชกรรม

The sale rule does not cover selling a controlled herb to any person who has a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, for medical benefit.

Ministry of Public Health Notice on Controlled Herbs (Cannabis) B.E. 2568, items 3 and 4; translation by the editor, not an official text

Can you smoke at a shop or in public? Short answer: no

A shop may not sell the herb for smoking on its own premises, with an exception for a medical practitioner treating a patient. The Tourism Authority of Thailand adds that shops or stalls offering cannabis for smoking, especially to walk-in customers, may be operating outside the law, so a green leaf on the door tells you nothing about whether the sale is legal.

In the street the rules stack up. Smoking in public is illegal, with a fine of up to THB 5,000, and a separate ministry notice, in force since 15 June 2022, treats cannabis smoke or smell as a nuisance. If you want to avoid all of it, do not light up outside a licensed medical setting.

Are dispensaries, delivery apps and vending machines legal?

Selling needs a licence, and the licence comes with limits: no online or vending-machine sales and no advertising. So a delivery app or a vending machine is the wrong place to buy, and an ad that follows you around online is one the notice bans.

The notice also bans sales at temples and religious sites, dormitories, and public parks, zoos and amusement parks. A stall at a temple fair or in a park is therefore a red flag, not a bargain.

Can you carry it or take it home? No

You cannot take cannabis out of Thailand without export permission from the authorities, and a visitor will not have it. Attempting it brings fines starting at THB 30,000 per kilogram, detention or prison if you do not pay, and a watchlist entry that affects future travel to Thailand.

The danger does not end at the Thai airport. Cannabis is illegal in many countries, and carrying it on arrival or in transit risks arrest and long prison sentences. British travellers have been caught carrying it out of Thailand, including in transit, and airports may scan transit baggage. We recommend checking pockets, bags and gifts before you leave for Chiang Mai airport, because taking it out without export permission is illegal.

Bringing it the other way is also out: herbal products containing cannabis or hemp must not be imported in your belongings.

What about vapes, extracts and oils?

Vapes are banned outright: possessing or using any vape, e-cigarette, pod, e-liquid or heat-not-burn device is illegal in Thailand, so a THC vape cartridge has two problems. Extracts sit under their own 2026 narcotics regulation, published on 2 April 2026, so do not assume the rules for buds cover oils or concentrates.

Is a new cannabis law coming?

A draft Cannabis Control Act is still a draft: the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine lists a summary of the public hearing on it, dated 20 July 2026. Until something passes, the notice above is the rule to follow, so check the date at the top of this page before you rely on it.

Related guides

• Chiang Mai Safety and Scams for other local laws that catch visitors.
• Chiang Mai Emergency Numbers if something goes wrong.
• Thailand Overstay Fines and Thailand Visa Exemption for the immigration side of any police case.

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Not confirmed: No minimum age for buyers appears in the current notice, so ask the clinic before a young traveller buys. Extracts and oils fall under a separate 2026 regulation whose THC limit was not confirmed, so ask the clinic or pharmacist before you carry or buy any.

General information checked against the sources listed above. Prices, opening hours and other details change; confirm them with the provider before you act. See how guides are checked.

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