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Thailand's cannabis regulatory landscape shifted significantly with the passage of the Cannabis and Hemp Act B.E. 2567, which came into force in June 2025. After years of operating under a patchwork of amendments to the Narcotics Act and ministerial notifications, the industry now has a dedicated legislative framework. Understanding what it actually changes — and what it doesn't — is essential for any cultivator, processor, or exporter operating in or through Thailand.

The Act formally separates medical cannabis from recreational use, which remains prohibited. It consolidates licensing authority under the TFDA and the ONCB, clarifies the distinction between hemp (THC ≤ 0.2% dry weight) and medical cannabis, and introduces a tiered licensing structure covering cultivation, processing, import, export, and distribution. Critically, the law enshrines the export of medical cannabis flower, extract, and finished products as a legitimate commercial activity — provided operators hold the correct licenses and comply with both Thai export requirements and the receiving country's import regulations.

Prior to June 2025, cultivation licenses were issued under the Narcotics Act framework, which created bureaucratic friction and inconsistency between agencies. The new Act streamlines this into a single licensing pathway under TFDA oversight. Cultivators must now demonstrate GACP compliance as a condition of licensure, not merely as a best-practice recommendation. For operations targeting EU markets, alignment with EU-GACP guidelines remains the gold standard, though Thai GACP as defined by the TFDA is now formally codified and legally enforceable.

Thailand holds DTAM export licenses for medical cannabis, and the new Act reinforces the legal basis for cross-border trade. Exporters must obtain an export license per shipment or operate under a blanket export authorization, depending on destination country requirements. All shipments must comply with the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961), meaning INCB export authorization is required and destination country import permits must be secured before goods leave Thailand.

The fundamental compliance obligations have not been relaxed. THC content thresholds, chain-of-custody documentation, GDP-compliant cold chain logistics, and analytical testing requirements remain in place. Buyers in Germany, Australia, the UK, and other regulated markets have not reduced their own import standards. A Thai cultivator or exporter who meets only the minimum Thai legal threshold will still fail foreign import audits.

The June 2025 Act creates legal clarity that was previously lacking, but it does not reduce the compliance burden for serious export-focused operators. Operators who invested in GACP infrastructure, GMP certification, and proper documentation are now better positioned to compete. DeeMED Consulting holds DTAM export and distribution licenses under the new framework and works directly with cultivators and manufacturers to align Thai regulatory compliance with destination-country import requirements.

One of the most common and costly misunderstandings in the Thai medical cannabis export market is the assumption that all GACP certifications are equivalent. They are not. Thai GACP, EU-GACP, and CUMCS are distinct frameworks with different scopes, different auditing bodies, and different levels of recognition in destination markets. Shipping to a buyer who requires one standard while holding certification under another can result in rejected shipments, voided contracts, and regulatory complications.

Thai GACP is the standard codified by the TFDA under the Cannabis and Hemp Act framework. Compliance with Thai GACP is a legal requirement for cultivation licensure under the new Act. Thai GACP draws on WHO GACP guidelines and has been progressively tightened to align with international expectations. However, it is not formally recognized as equivalent to EU-GACP by European competent authorities. A Thai GACP certificate alone will not satisfy the requirements of a German or Dutch importer operating under BfArM or IG-IMB procurement guidelines.

EU-GACP is defined by the EMA's guideline on good agricultural and collection practice for starting materials of herbal origin (EMA/HMPC/246816/2005). EU-GACP is the benchmark for cannabis flower and biomass entering the European market for medicinal use. Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and most other active EU import markets require suppliers to demonstrate EU-GACP compliance as a baseline. EU-GACP readiness for a well-structured Thai operation is typically achievable in two to three months with appropriate technical support.

The Canadian Unprocessed Marijuana Certification Standard was developed to facilitate cannabis trade between Health Canada-licensed producers and international buyers. It is primarily relevant for operators supplying the Australian market under TGA import conditions. CUMCS is not widely required outside of specific Australian procurement contexts and is rarely the standard required by European buyers.

The correct answer is determined entirely by your buyer's jurisdiction and procurement specifications — not by what is easiest or fastest to obtain. EU market: EU-GACP is required. Australian market with Health Canada-licensed processor: CUMCS may be relevant. Domestic Thailand or markets without formal GACP import requirements: Thai GACP satisfies your legal obligation. DeeMED Consulting has supported EU-GACP readiness programs for Thai cultivators and works with a BfArM and MHRA registered Qualified Person based in Thailand.

For Thai medical cannabis operators with international ambitions, the compliance landscape involves four distinct but overlapping frameworks: Thai GACP, EU-GACP, Thai GMP, and EU-GMP Part I. Understanding where each applies, how they interrelate, and what sequence to build them in is the difference between a coherent market entry strategy and an expensive compliance exercise that still fails to unlock the markets you want.

The four standards operate along two axes. The first separates cultivation-stage compliance (GACP) from manufacturing-stage compliance (GMP). The second separates standards that satisfy Thai regulatory requirements from those that satisfy European import requirements. Thai GACP governs cultivation for Thai regulatory purposes. EU-GACP governs the same activities but to European standards. Thai GMP governs the manufacturing of cannabis-derived products for the Thai domestic market. EU-GMP Part I governs manufacturing of finished medicinal products intended for the European market.

For an operator targeting EU export markets: First, achieve Thai GACP compliance — it is a legal requirement for cultivation licensure. Second, close the gap to EU-GACP, which typically requires three to six months of structured work. Third, assess whether EU-GMP Part I certification is required for your specific product type. Thai GMP is essential for domestic product registration but does not substitute for EU-GMP in European market contexts.

EU-GMP Part I applies to the manufacture of finished medicinal products. EU-GMP certification is issued following an inspection by a recognized authority — for Thai manufacturers, this most commonly involves inspections coordinated through BfArM (Germany) or MHRA (UK). A well-prepared manufacturer with experienced technical support can achieve EU-GMP certification in under twelve months.

DeeMED Consulting supports operators across all four compliance frameworks. Having a BfArM and MHRA registered Qualified Person on the ground in Thailand means that EU-GMP and EU-GACP program development is informed by the same standards framework that European inspectors use — not a local interpretation of it. GACP readiness programs typically run two to three months. EU-GMP certification programs are structured toward a twelve-month or sub-twelve-month outcome.

EU-GMP Part I certification is the single most significant compliance milestone for a Thai cannabis manufacturer targeting European markets. It is also the most commonly misunderstood. Manufacturers frequently underestimate the scope, overestimate the speed, and underestimate the cost — particularly when they begin the process without experienced guidance.

The process begins with a comprehensive gap assessment against EU-GMP Part I requirements. This covers the quality management system, premises and equipment qualification, personnel competency and training records, raw material controls, manufacturing procedures, quality control laboratory systems, and self-inspection programs. The gap assessment produces a prioritized remediation plan. Most Thai cannabis manufacturers encounter the largest gaps in documentation granularity, equipment qualification records, laboratory method validation, and change control systems.

Remediation is where most of the work occurs. SOPs must be written, reviewed, and implemented — not simply filed. Equipment must be formally qualified with IQ/OQ/PQ protocols. Laboratory methods must be validated against Ph. Eur. or equivalent standards. Experienced QP oversight during this phase significantly reduces the risk of producing documentation that looks compliant on paper but fails under inspection scrutiny.

Before submitting for a formal inspection, a mock inspection allows residual gaps to be identified and closed. This phase also includes preparation of the Site Master File — a comprehensive document describing the facility, its operations, and its quality systems for the inspecting authority.

The formal inspection is typically two to four days for a cannabis manufacturing facility. Deficiencies are classified as critical, major, or other. Critical deficiencies preclude certification. With a well-prepared facility and no critical findings, certificate issuance follows within weeks of inspection close-out. DeeMED Consulting structures EU-GMP programs with defined milestones and QP oversight throughout, from gap assessment to certificate issuance.

Anutin Charnvirakul's ascent to the position of Prime Minister represents more than a political transition. For the Thai medical cannabis industry, it marks the consolidation of executive authority in the hands of the figure most directly responsible for Thailand's cannabis liberalization — a politician whose legacy is, in a significant way, tied to the success or failure of the industry he helped create.

Anutin is the leader of Bhumjaithai Party and served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health from 2019 through much of the following political cycle. In that role, he was the architect of Thailand's original cannabis delisting from the narcotics schedule in 2022. Bhumjaithai made cannabis policy a central electoral platform in both the 2019 and 2023 elections, framing it as both a public health initiative and an economic development strategy for rural farming communities.

As Prime Minister, Anutin has the executive authority to accelerate or decelerate the regulatory agenda in ways that a ministerial role did not fully permit. His premiership provides the medical cannabis export industry with a degree of policy continuity that was not guaranteed under alternative political configurations. The risk of a sudden reversal — a reclassification back to Schedule 1 or prohibitively restrictive export controls — is substantially reduced while Anutin holds executive authority.

Political continuity at the top does not resolve the operational challenges facing the industry. Licensing processes remain slow. TFDA capacity for cannabis-specific regulatory work is limited. International buyers' compliance requirements — set by BfArM, TGA, MHRA, and other foreign regulators — are not affected by Thai domestic politics. Operators who interpret Anutin's political position as a reason to relax compliance investment are making a strategic error.

For international investors evaluating Thailand as a sourcing or investment location, Anutin's premiership reduces one category of political risk: the risk of abrupt regulatory reversal. It does not reduce commercial risk, compliance risk, or execution risk. The political leadership now matches the commercial opportunity. For operators already in the market, the priority remains unchanged: build compliant operations, achieve credible certifications, and develop relationships with verified international buyers.

The narrative around Thailand as a global medical cannabis export hub has outrun the data for several years. In 2026, the data is beginning to catch up — and the picture it presents is more nuanced than either the optimists or the skeptics have described.

Thai medical cannabis exports have grown year-on-year since the first commercial export shipments in late 2022 and early 2023. However, absolute volumes remain modest relative to government projections. Germany remains the largest single destination, driven by the scale of its liberalized prescription market. Australia is the second significant destination market, though import volumes are constrained by TGA regulatory requirements that effectively favor established sourcing relationships and GMP-certified product.

Thai flower export prices have faced downward pressure as more licensed cultivators have entered the market and international supply from established producers in Germany, Portugal, and Australia has increased. The premium that early Thai exporters commanded on quality flower has compressed, and the market is increasingly differentiating on compliance quality rather than product novelty.

The feedback from active international buyers is consistent: reliable supply, consistent quality, auditable compliance, and predictable logistics. Novel origin stories and low prices are secondary considerations for serious pharmaceutical purchasers. The compliance infrastructure investment — GACP, GMP, GDP, proper analytical testing — is not a regulatory burden but a market access requirement.

Thailand will not become the world's dominant medical cannabis supplier by volume. It can, however, become a significant and respected supplier in the high-compliance, high-value segment of the global market. The operators who are building toward that outcome are the ones worth watching.

Thailand has positioned itself as Asia's medical cannabis hub through progressive legislation, government investment in research infrastructure, and active diplomatic engagement with key import markets. The question worth asking in 2026 is whether the positioning is becoming reality, where genuine competitive advantage lies, and what it actually takes for a Thai operator to win in the international market.

Thailand's geographic and agricultural fundamentals are strong. The tropical climate supports year-round cultivation with relatively low input costs compared to controlled-environment facilities in Europe or North America. The regulatory framework, while still maturing, is now more coherent than any other jurisdiction in Southeast Asia.

Thailand's primary competition is not other Asian producers — it is established suppliers in Europe and beyond. Portugal has emerged as a major EU-based cultivation and processing hub, with significant advantages in terms of direct EU regulatory recognition and shorter supply chains to the primary European markets. Germany's domestic cultivation program creates a local-sourcing preference among German pharmaceutical buyers.

Thailand's sustainable competitive advantage lies in a combination of cultivation scale, cost efficiency, and compliance quality. The Thai operators winning international buyer relationships in 2026 are not doing so on price alone. They are winning because they have credible GACP and GMP certification, auditable supply chains, reliable logistics, and the organizational competency to service a sophisticated international buyer consistently.

The practical requirements are: EU-GACP certification for cultivation operations targeting European buyers; EU-GMP Part I certification for manufacturers producing finished medicinal products; analytical testing to Ph. Eur. standards; GDP-compliant logistics with INCB documentation management; and commercial relationships with verified international buyers. Building these capabilities takes time and investment. DeeMED Consulting works with operators across this full capability spectrum — from initial compliance gap assessment through to active export shipment management.

Australia is one of the most commercially significant export markets for Thai medical cannabis, and one of the most technically demanding to supply. The TGA applies a rigorous import framework that requires exporters to navigate both Thai export requirements and Australian import conditions simultaneously.

Medical cannabis imported into Australia must be either a registered therapeutic good or supplied under the TGA's Special Access Scheme (SAS) or Authorised Prescriber (AP) pathway. The vast majority of imported medical cannabis enters under SAS Category B. Thai exporters are not selling directly to Australian patients or pharmacies — they are selling to licensed importers who service that downstream demand.

Every shipment requires an ODC import permit specifying the product, quantity, supplier details, and destination. The Australian importer applies for this permit, and its issuance is a prerequisite for the Thai exporter's ONCB export authorization application. The two authorizations must be aligned before any shipment can proceed.

TGA import conditions specify minimum quality standards including analytical testing for cannabinoid content, heavy metals, pesticide residues, microbial contamination, and — for extracts — residual solvents. Results must be documented in a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) from a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025.

Medical cannabis is classified as a Schedule 8 controlled substance in Australia. Shipments must comply with GDP guidelines for transport and storage. DeeMED's logistics infrastructure uses the Frigga V5 Core single-use data logger for medical cannabis shipments — a GDP-compliant solution providing continuous temperature and humidity monitoring. Logger reports are included in the shipment documentation package to satisfy Australian importer quality requirements.

The most common reasons Thai medical cannabis shipments fail to reach Australian buyers are: documentation misalignment between Thai export and Australian import permits; temperature excursions during transit without adequate monitoring records; analytical results that do not meet the Australian importer's specification; and failure to meet lead times required by the Australian importer. All of these failures are preventable with experienced export management and robust logistics partners.

GDP compliance for medical cannabis shipments is a set of concrete documentation requirements that must be in place before, during, and after every shipment. Importers in Germany, Australia, the UK, and other regulated markets are increasingly auditing their Thai suppliers' distribution documentation as part of supplier qualification.

Prior to dispatch, a GDP-compliant shipment file should contain: a pre-shipment quality check record confirming product condition, temperature monitoring system installation, and packaging integrity; the temperature range specification for the product; calibration certificates for all temperature monitoring devices; and the chain-of-custody transfer documentation. INCB export authorization and destination country import permits must also be in the shipment file before dispatch.

A GDP-compliant temperature monitoring device must accompany every pharmaceutical shipment. For high-value medical cannabis exports, a single-use data logger is the appropriate tool. DeeMED uses the Frigga V5 Core single-use data logger, which records continuous temperature and humidity data throughout the cold chain. The data logger must be activated and placed correctly within the shipment packaging — not on the external surface where it records ambient rather than product temperature.

Upon receipt, the receiver must download and review the data logger report. This report forms part of the GDP shipment record and must be retained by both the shipper and the receiver. Any temperature excursion must be formally investigated and documented, concluding with a disposition decision: accept with justification, reject, or quarantine pending stability data review. The full GDP shipment file must be retained for the product's shelf life plus one year.

International buyers who conduct supplier audits are reviewing these records. An exporter who cannot produce complete, coherent GDP shipment files will fail a buyer's supplier qualification audit — regardless of how good the product is. DeeMED manages end-to-end GDP documentation for medical cannabis export shipments, including Frigga data logger deployment, INCB documentation, and post-delivery record management.

Temperature monitoring during pharmaceutical shipment is a GDP requirement, not a best practice. What is less universally understood is why single-use data loggers are the appropriate tool for high-value pharmaceutical exports — including medical cannabis — rather than reusable devices.

Reusable data loggers introduce several problems in a high-value pharmaceutical export context. First, calibration integrity: a reusable logger must be calibrated before each deployment, and calibration currency is inconsistently managed across multiple shipments. An expired or unverifiable calibration certificate renders the temperature record questionable. Second, data integrity: a reusable logger that has been in multiple shipments has a data history, making it difficult to demonstrate that the record attached to a specific shipment corresponds only to that shipment. Third, receiver handling: the receiver does not have immediate access to the complete temperature record without the sender retrieving and downloading the device.

A single-use data logger is calibrated at manufacture, used once, and discarded after the temperature report is downloaded at delivery. The calibration is factory-issued with a defined validity period. There is no question about which shipment the data corresponds to. There is no reverse logistics burden. The receiver downloads the report immediately upon delivery, and both the exporter and importer can archive the same data file as part of their GDP shipment records.

DeeMED is the official Frigga data logger distributor in Thailand. The Frigga V5 Core is the device we specify for medical cannabis and high-value pharmaceutical export shipments. It records continuous temperature and humidity data, has a user-configurable alarm threshold, and produces a PDF report that can be shared directly with importers, quality teams, and regulatory authorities without requiring proprietary software. For any exporter of high-value pharmaceuticals from Thailand, single-use data logger deployment is not a cost — it is a cost-avoidance measure.

Thailand's pharmaceutical cold chain infrastructure has expanded significantly over the past three years, driven by post-pandemic investment in healthcare supply chain resilience, the growth of the medical cannabis export sector, and increasing demand from multinational pharmaceutical manufacturers seeking regional distribution hubs.

Three years ago, GDP-compliant pharmaceutical cold chain in Thailand was largely the domain of a small number of specialist providers with deep pharmaceutical expertise and premium pricing. The market has matured substantially. Cold chain warehousing with pharmaceutical-grade temperature zones (2–8°C, 15–25°C, and -20°C) is now available from multiple providers at competitive pricing. IATA-certified pharmaceutical packaging is available locally. Freight forwarding with pharmaceutical-specific expertise and experience handling controlled substances including medical cannabis is no longer rare.

For importers sourcing pharmaceutical products from Thailand, the improved infrastructure means that supply chain quality is increasingly a function of operational discipline rather than infrastructure scarcity. The relevant questions to ask your Thai supplier or logistics partner are now: Do they have documented and validated SOPs for cold chain handling? Are their staff trained to GDP standards? Do they use calibrated, certified temperature monitoring devices? Can they provide GDP shipment documentation packages that would satisfy your quality team's supplier audit?

DeeMED's logistics operations for medical cannabis and pharmaceutical exports are supported by a global freight partner operating across more than 50 countries, with more than 300 offices and over 7,500 staff globally. For medical cannabis shipments specifically, DeeMED manages the complete export logistics package: GDP-compliant cold chain with Frigga V5 data logger deployment, INCB documentation coordination, ONCB export authorization, and chain-of-custody documentation from the Thai facility to the destination importer's dock.

Every cross-border shipment of medical cannabis is a controlled substance transaction under international law. The UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) — to which Thailand and virtually every destination country for medical cannabis exports is a party — requires that both the exporting and importing country authorize each shipment through a national competent authority.

In Thailand, export of medical cannabis requires authorization from the ONCB, in addition to the TFDA export license. The ONCB process requires: valid DTAM licenses held by the exporting entity; the import permit from the destination country's competent authority (which must be obtained before ONCB authorization can be issued); and product specification details including variety, THC and CBD content, form, and quantity. ONCB authorization is issued per shipment — there is no blanket annual authorization. Lead times are typically ten to fifteen business days.

Destination countries issue import permits through their own competent authorities: BfArM in Germany, ODC in Australia, the Home Office in the UK, and the Bureau Medicinale Cannabis (BMC) in the Netherlands. The critical sequencing issue is that the ONCB export authorization cannot be finalized until the destination country import permit is in hand. Import permit applications in destination countries can take two to six weeks, meaning the import permit application must be initiated four to eight weeks before the intended shipment date.

The most common failures are timing-related. Exporters who initiate the ONCB authorization process before the import permit is in hand, or who underestimate import permit lead times, create shipment delays with cascading commercial consequences. The second common failure is documentation completeness — ONCB and import permit documentation must match exactly in terms of product description, quantity, and exporter/importer details. DeeMED manages the full INCB documentation cycle for medical cannabis export shipments.

The medical and pharmaceutical logistics market offers two fundamentally different approaches to temperature monitoring during shipment: passive logging, which records data for review after delivery, and real-time visibility, which transmits data during transit for live monitoring and intervention. Both have legitimate applications, and choosing the wrong one for a specific shipment type has both compliance and commercial consequences.

A passive data logger records temperature and humidity continuously throughout a shipment and stores that data internally. The record is downloaded at the point of delivery and reviewed against the product's temperature specification. Passive logging is the foundational GDP requirement for pharmaceutical shipments. The advantages are simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and data integrity. There is no dependency on cellular or satellite connectivity during transit. The Frigga V5 Core, which DeeMED deploys for medical cannabis and pharmaceutical shipments, is a single-use passive logger that produces a PDF report on delivery and meets GDP requirements.

A real-time visibility solution transmits temperature and location data from the shipment to a monitoring platform during transit, allowing logistics operators or quality teams to view current conditions and receive alerts if the shipment goes outside specification. Real-time visibility is valuable when intervention during transit is possible and commercially justified — rerouting, expediting, or repackaging at a hub. For most medical cannabis air freight from Thailand to Europe or Australia, real-time visibility has limited practical value. Once the shipment is airborne, there is no meaningful intervention available if a temperature excursion occurs.

If your shipment is air freight, passive logging with a high-quality single-use device satisfies GDP and provides the documentation your buyers need. For medical cannabis exports from Thailand, passive logging with the Frigga V5 Core is the appropriate and GDP-compliant choice for the vast majority of shipments. For operators considering whether a premium real-time solution is warranted, DeeMED can advise based on specific shipment profile, destination, and buyer requirements.