Is Weed Legal in Thailand?
Bonno
Chiang Mai
28-03-2023
You may have heard rumors of weed being legalized in Thailand but you haven’t even heard the half of it.
We traveled to Thailand and we could not believe the changes we saw. Medical marijuana dispensaries had sprouted up EVERYWHERE.
Local drug laws are famously very strict and penalties even worse. We’d heard stories of Western travelers being caught with even small amounts and facing sentences up to and including the death penalty.
The official sentence for possessing category V drugs is up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 – 1,000,000 Baht for production
But now it seems everyone is either smoking or selling weed.
So what happened? And is it actually legal?
The Facts
In 2018, Thailand became the first Asian nation to legalize medical cannabis
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has insisted that the aim of decriminalization is to promote medical use of marijuana and create economic opportunities for local people. Foreigners who want to visit Thailand just to get high should think again, he has said.
The 10 things tourists need to know are as follows:
Carrying seeds or parts of cannabis plants from and to Thailand for personal purposes is not permitted.
Cannabis cultivation is legal but registering on the Food and Drug Administration’s Plook Ganja application or through a government website is required.
Using cannabis flower buds for research, export and sale and processing them for commercial purposes requires an official permit.
Individuals under 20 years old, pregnant women and breastfeeding women are not eligible to use cannabis except under the supervision of health professionals.
Possession of extracts containing more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and synthetic THC requires permission
Dishes containing cannabis are available in authorized restaurants.
Approved cannabis health products are accessible through specific channels.
Smoking cannabis in public spaces, including schools and shopping malls, is illegal.
Avoid driving after consuming food or health products containing cannabis.
Those who have serious undesirable health outcomes from consuming cannabis should promptly see doctors for treatment.
After reading the article linked above – it seems there is still a grey area as to whether it is legal however we have been travelling in Thailand now for 10 weeks since it has been ‘legalized’ back in June. Dispensaries are common in Bangkok and many other popular tourist areas.
There are now more than 4000 dispensaries in Thailand.
We would say there are probably even more than this and you could add an extra few thousand on top of this. In hostels you can check in, book tours and now buy weed from reception counters.
And in Pai (a hippy mountain town) you can buy some street food and a gram at the same time, from the same stall. We have even heard in Koh Chang a deal for 2 beers and 1 joint for 100 Baht (around $2.50) that can be enjoyed on the beach.
We have even seen hostels that are marketed as dispensaries.
This seems to be attracting many backpackers that have always stereo typically been interested in this particular habit. Backpackers which have always been viewed as choosing a more alternative and hippie lifestyle seemed to have embraced this ‘legalization’ with open hairy arms.
One of the biggest dispensaries is Plantopia located on Bangkok’s legendary Khao San Road. Plantopia’s signage stakes their claim as the biggest dispensary in the world. Inside it houses five different vendors selling hundreds of different strains. There is also a chill out lounge patrolled by red-eyed security personnel.
A big part of the attraction here is the price.
A gram of ‘Thai stick’ sells for as little as $0.10 Mid grades go up to between $1. per gram and top-shelf, depending on where you buy, could set you back around $1.40 at the absolute most.
So, in our experience . Yes – Thailand is pretty open to cannabis.
Still, we suggest you research the laws for yourself and practice good etiquette before you light up.
