Cannabis in Bangkok: what is still legal and what no longer is in 2026

No, cannabis is no longer freely on sale in Bangkok: since June 2025 it has been reserved for medical use, you need a prescription issued in Thailand to buy it, recreational use is illegal and smoking in public is banned. The shops that opened after the 2022 decriminalisation, especially around Khao San, can no longer sell to just anyone. Taking cannabis out of the country carries heavy penalties, with tighter checks since 18 June 2026. This guide sums up what a visitor needs to know, without being legal advice. Rules checked in October 2026.

The current status

The Khao San Road area, where many cannabis shops had opened

Thailand removed cannabis from its list of narcotics in 2022, and shops opened all over Bangkok. In late June 2025 the Ministry of Public Health reclassified cannabis flowers as a "controlled herb": sale is no longer free and recreational use is no longer legal.

To buy: a prescription from an authorised practitioner (the "Phor.Thor. 33" form), valid for no more than 30 days of treatment.
Where: only healthcare facilities, pharmacies, herbal product shops and licensed traditional healer premises may sell, according to law firms following the 2026 regulations.
Recreational use: illegal.
Smoking: banned in public places, including for a patient. The French authorities cite a 25,000 baht fine and three months in prison.

The rules may still change: a draft cannabis and hemp bill is being prepared and could, according to law firms, be passed in 2027 in a more restrictive form.

What a visitor must not do

Buy or smoke without a prescription, even in a shop displaying a cannabis leaf: the sign proves nothing.
Smoke in the street, a park, a bar or on the pavement of a tourist area such as Khao San Road.
Consume in a market or crowded place such as Chatuchak, or near a temple.
Leave the country with cannabis: see below.

Taking cannabis out of Thailand

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs says checks on travellers carrying cannabis out of Thailand have tightened since 18 June 2026: a customs fine of 30,000 baht (about 790 euros) per kilo seized is now applied systematically, with prison sentences of 2 to 10 years. The UK authorities remind travellers that taking cannabis out of Thailand is illegal, with arrest or a fine as the penalty. It is also banned in most transit and destination countries, including France.

Other drugs

Cannabis does not protect you from anything else: other narcotics remain punished very severely, see our guide to scams and safety, which also covers the laws that surprise visitors.