Thailand's June 2025 Cannabis Notification: What It Means for Exporters and Cultivators

Thailand's cannabis regulatory landscape shifted significantly on June 26, 2025, when the Ministry of Public Health issued its Notification on Controlled Herbs (Cannabis) B.E. 2568, published in the Royal Gazette. After years of operating under a patchwork of amendments to the Narcotics Act and ministerial notifications, the industry now has a more defined framework for medical cannabis. Understanding what it actually changes, and what it does not, is essential for any cultivator, processor, or exporter operating in or through Thailand.

What the Notification Establishes

The June 2025 notification formally reclassifies cannabis inflorescence (flower) as a controlled herb under the Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Knowledge Act B.E. 2542. Critically, cannabis flower is not reclassified as a narcotic under the Narcotics Act: penalties under the traditional medicine framework are generally less severe. The notification restricts sales to licensed dispensary-to-dispensary transactions or to patients presenting a valid prescription from one of seven recognized professional practitioners, including medical doctors, Thai traditional medicine practitioners, dentists, and pharmacists. Prescriptions are capped at 30 grams per month and limited to a 30-day supply.

Note that the Cannabis and Hemp Act, a comprehensive standalone law that would create a unified licensing authority and complete enforcement framework, had not passed parliament as of mid-2026. The June 2025 changes operate through ministerial notification under existing legislation. Operators must comply with both the 2025 medical framework and unrepealed directives from 2022 to 2024. This fragmented legal structure requires careful ongoing compliance monitoring.

What Changed for Cultivators

The notification makes DTAM GACP certification legally mandatory for commercial cannabis cultivation: any cannabis flower sold or exported must be traceable to a DTAM-certified GACP farm. As of February 13, 2026, DTAM reported 217 GACP-certified farms across Thailand. For context, there are over 11,800 legacy-licensed operators in the cannabis space, making genuinely certified sourcing partners scarce and commercially valuable. The bottleneck in the Thai medical cannabis supply chain is not cultivation capacity but certified, auditable compliance.

DTAM GACP certification covers soil and water quality, input and pesticide controls, worker hygiene and training, seed-to-sale documentation and traceability, harvest and post-harvest handling, and regular product testing. Certification is valid for 1 to 3 years with annual surveillance inspections. The process typically takes 90 to 180 days depending on the preparedness of the facility. A commercial operation lacking GACP certification exposes downstream dispensaries and exporters to license suspension risk.

What Changed for Exporters

The notification reinforces the legal basis for cross-border medical cannabis trade while tightening source traceability requirements. Exporters must hold a valid DTAM export authorization, and their cannabis must trace to a DTAM GACP-certified farm. Non-compliant shipments face seizure by Thai Customs. All shipments remain subject to 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.

What Has Not Changed

The fundamental compliance obligations for export 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 in response to Thai regulatory changes. The EMA's GACP guideline (EMA/HMPC/246816/2005 Rev. 1), which governs what EU importers require of herbal starting material suppliers, is set by the EMA independently of Thai domestic policy. Thai regulatory improvements make the export path more navigable, but they do not reduce the bar that EU and Australian buyers apply. A Thai cultivator or exporter meeting only the minimum Thai legal threshold will still fail foreign import audits.

What This Means Practically

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