Thailand’s Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine has issued new enforcement guidelines introducing stricter administrative penalties for cannabis-related businesses that fail to comply with regulatory requirements. The measures, issued under the Ministry of Public Health’s Controlled Herbal Product (Cannabis) B.E. 2568 notification, are intended to standardise enforcement practices and strengthen regulatory oversight across commercial cannabis activities, including research, processing, sale, and export.
The new framework establishes a structured penalty system that includes licence suspensions and, in more serious cases, licence revocation. A key compliance requirement is the accurate and timely submission of mandatory reporting forms, including the Por Thor 27 form, which records cannabis source and inventory data, and the Por Thor 28 form, which tracks daily distribution and processing activities. Failure to maintain or submit these records, or submitting incomplete monthly reports, may result in a 30-day licence suspension.
Additional grounds for suspension include non-compliance with Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (or equivalent standards), failure to properly display or provide access to licences for inspection, and unauthorised advertising of cannabis products for commercial purposes. The regulatory approach reflects a heightened emphasis on traceability, product quality standards, and transparency in commercial cannabis operations.
More severe breaches may result in longer suspensions of up to 90 days or outright licence revocation. These include failure to notify authorities of export activities, sale of cannabis without the required PorThor 33 medical prescription, submission of false or misleading information, permitting on-site consumption, operating in prohibited locations, or engaging in restricted sales channels such as online platforms or vending machines. The regulations also impose strict safeguards on access, prohibiting sales to vulnerable groups, including individuals under 20 years of age, students, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, as well as restricting sales in sensitive locations such as temples, dormitories, and public parks.
From an enforcement perspective, the guidelines also introduce cumulative penalty provisions, whereby multiple violations may result in combined suspension periods of up to 90 days, with repeat offenders subject to progressively harsher sanctions. This signals a more stringent regulatory stance by Thai authorities as the cannabis sector continues to develop following its partial decriminalisation, with a clearer shift towards controlled medical and commercial use under a structured licensing regime.
From a broader legal and commercial standpoint, the introduction of these penalty guidelines reflects Thailand’s ongoing transition from a liberalised cannabis environment to a more tightly regulated controlled herbal product framework. Operators in the sector will need to strengthen compliance systems, particularly in relation to documentation, product traceability, and distribution controls. More broadly, the measures indicate a regulatory focus on aligning the cannabis industry with public health objectives and formalising enforcement standards, which may shape the future structure and sustainability of cannabis-related commercial activities in Thailand.