Thailand has gone through more regulatory change in the last four years than most markets see in a generation. For B2B buyers, formulators, and brand operators looking to source hemp-derived terpenes, that volatility creates a real due-diligence burden. What was true in 2022 is not what is true today, and what was circulating online as recently as 2024 is already outdated.
This page exists to cut through that confusion. It covers the current legal status of cannabis and hemp in Thailand, what the 2025 and 2026 regulatory shifts actually mean for terpene procurement, which product categories are legally accessible without a prescription, and what documentation you should expect from any compliant international supplier.
Thailand’s Cannabis and Hemp Regulatory Timeline: 2018 to 2026
Thailand’s relationship with cannabis has moved fast, and the line between informed and uninformed buyers is extremely thin. Here’s what you need to know:
2018: Medical Legalization
Thailand amended the Narcotic Act B.E. 2522 (1979) in December 2018 to permit cannabis for medical and research use, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to do so. At this point, all non-medical cannabis remained strictly prohibited.
2022: Decriminalization and the Open Market
In June 2022, cannabis was removed from the Category 5 narcotics list entirely. Cultivation, possession, and consumption became legally non-punishable overnight. The move triggered an immediate commercial expansion, with an estimated 18,000 or more dispensaries opening across the country within a few years. Critically, the 0.2% THC threshold established during this period remains the defining line for most hemp and terpene product categories today.
June 25, 2025: Reclassification as a Controlled Herb
On June 25, 2025, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin signed the Notification on Controlled Herbs (Cannabis) B.E. 2568 under the Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Knowledge Act B.E. 2542 (1999), reclassifying cannabis flower as a controlled herb.
This effectively ended the open recreational market immediately. Cannabis flower is not classified as a narcotic under this framework, which carries different and generally less severe penalties than narcotics violations, but the practical effect is the same for recreational access: purchases now require a valid PT 33 prescription issued by a licensed Thai medical practitioner, valid for a maximum of 30 days.
All dispensaries must have a certified licensed practitioner on-site during operating hours. Of the approximately 18,433 dispensaries operating at the time, around 7,297 have since closed after failing to comply with or afford the new requirements.
January 2026: Dispensary Supervision Requirements Tighten
New regulations introduced in January 2026 formalized additional licensing conditions for operating dispensaries, requiring certified traditional medicine practitioners to be on-site. Online cannabis sales and vending machine access were prohibited under the same round of updates.
April 26, 2026: Extract Regulation B.e. 2569 Comes Into Force
The most consequential development for international suppliers came on March 26, 2026, when the Ministerial Regulation on permission to produce, import, export, sell, or possess Category 5 narcotics, specifically cannabis or hemp plant extracts, B.E. 2569 (2026) was published in the Royal Gazette, taking force 30 days later on April 26, 2026.
This replaces the 2021 extract regulation and governs all cannabis and hemp extracts containing more than 0.2% THC by weight. It expands the permissible purposes for such extracts to four categories: medical use, research, industrial use, and official narcotics suppression.
Extracts above the 0.2% THC threshold continue to be treated as Category 5 narcotics, requiring full ministerial licensing from the Thailand Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Ministry of Public Health and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).
A key provision of the 2026 regulation is that applicants seeking permission to produce cannabis or hemp extracts for medical purposes must be juristic persons that are not foreign businesses under Thai law. Foreign entities can still participate as buyers, importers, logistics providers, and compliance partners, but cannot directly hold the production license for high-THC extracts.
Where Hemp-Derived Terpenes Fit in Thailand’s Current Framework
Hemp-derived terpene isolates and blends that contain less than 0.2% THC by weight occupy a distinct legal category in Thailand. They are not classified as cannabis under the Notification on Controlled Herbs B.E. 2568, and they do not fall within the scope of the Ministerial Regulation B.E. 2569 (2026), which specifically governs extracts exceeding the 0.2% threshold.
This means that hemp-derived terpene products that sit below that threshold do not require the PT 33 prescription framework, do not require the Category 5 narcotics licensing, and are not covered by the foreign business restriction for producers under the 2026 regulation.
The 0.2% THC threshold has been the defining regulatory line since 2022 and has been maintained through every subsequent regulatory change. Products below this threshold are treated as general health supplements or herbal products, depending on their application category, governed by existing Thai FDA rules for food, cosmetics, and herbal products rather than by the cannabis-specific regulatory framework.
What this means for a B2B buyer in Thailand sourcing hemp-derived CDTs or HDTs:
- Products must carry GC-MS or GC-FID verified COAs confirming THC content below the 0.2% threshold on a per-weight basis
- Commercial importation requires working through a licensed Thai importer with an established relationship with the Thai FDA, as the Thai FDA explicitly prohibits personal importation of cannabis or hemp-based products
- Each commercial shipment must include valid export/import permits, testing reports verifying THC levels, and documentation demonstrating compliance with both the country of origin and Thai law
- Customs officials are authorized to inspect, seize, or destroy any consignment that does not comply with applicable Thai law under the Customs Act B.E. 2560, the Narcotics Act B.E. 2522, and the Controlled Herbs Act B.E. 2562
- Unauthorized cross-border movement of cannabis-adjacent materials is a criminal offense; ensure every shipment is fully documented before it moves
For terpene isolates derived from natural botanical sources with no cannabis or hemp origin at all, the above THC threshold requirements do not apply. These are regulated as aromatic compounds under standard food and cosmetic frameworks.
Commercial Import Requirements: What Every Thai Buyer Should Know
Getting the regulatory classification right is step one. Getting the paperwork right is where most cross-border procurement actually breaks down.
The Thai FDA distinguishes clearly between personal importation, which is prohibited for all cannabis or hemp-based products, and commercial importation, which is permitted under a licensed framework. The commercial import process for hemp-derived products with compliant THC levels typically runs two to six months and requires a licensed Thai importer who has existing FDA relationships and product registration experience.
The documentation chain that a compliant supplier should be able to provide includes:
- Certificate of Analysis (COA) from an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory confirming terpene profile, THC content, and the absence of pesticides, heavy metals, and residual solvents
- GC-MS terpene fingerprint data confirming constituent compounds and their percentages
- Country of origin documentation
- Export permit from the country of origin, where required
- THC concentration verification report confirming the product sits below the 0.2% per-weight threshold
- Product Safety Data Sheet (SDS/MSDS)
- Manufacturer compliance documentation, including cGMP or equivalent quality certification
Under the 2026 cross-border framework governed by the Royal Gazette regulation, both export and import permits must be present, and customs may inspect any shipment and request additional verification of THC levels. Enforcement has been increasing since the June 2025 regulatory shift, so treating documentation as optional is no longer viable for any serious B2B operation.
What Thai Formulators and Brand Operators Need Right Now
Thailand’s transition to a medical-only cannabis framework has a consequence that does not get discussed enough in compliance circles: the remaining licensed dispensaries and compliant cannabis product operators now need better-documented, more traceable inputs than before.
COAs are no longer a marketing differentiator in Thailand’s cannabis-adjacent market. They are a regulatory requirement. Dispensaries operating under the new framework must source from GACP-certified farms, keep detailed dispensing records, and demonstrate supply chain traceability from cultivation through processing and packaging. That standard filters directly up to the terpene inputs being added to any formulation.
For product developers and formulators working with CDTs or HDTs in Thailand, a few practical realities have shifted:
- A supplier that cannot provide ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab results with identifiable terpene constituent data is not adequate for the current compliance environment
- Batch-to-batch COA consistency matters for dispensary re-licensing and product registration, not just for formulation quality
- Terpene profiles used in medical cannabis products in Thailand need to be reproducible, which means suppliers working from live, fresh-source material with documented harvest data are better positioned than those supplying blended or reconstructed profiles
This is particularly relevant for vape formulators, concentrate producers, and pre-roll operators who use CDTs to restore profiles lost during extraction or to standardize products across production runs. For more on formulation specifics in these product categories, see our R&D guide on vape formulation best practices.
Why Terpene Belt Farms Is the Right Wholesale Partner for Thailand
Sourcing compliant CDTs or HDTs into Thailand is not simply a question of finding a supplier that ships internationally. The Thai regulatory environment as it now stands requires documentation depth, extraction transparency, and lot-level traceability that most suppliers cannot provide consistently.
Terpene Belt Farms is a California-based producer of cannabis-derived terpenes (CDTs) and hemp-derived terpenes (HDTs) operating under its proprietary Fresh Never Frozen® cold-chain methodology. Every product we ship is extracted from Cannabis Sativa L cultivated in California’s Northern Central Valley under strict agricultural controls and processed immediately after harvest without freezing or curing the plant material. This matters directly for Thai buyers because it means the terpene profile you receive reflects the actual plant chemistry at peak expression, not a degraded or reconstituted version of it.
Every batch ships with full GC-MS documentation and COAs issued from ISO/IEC 17025-accredited third-party laboratories, confirming terpene constituent percentages, THC content, pesticide panels, heavy metal screens, and residual solvent tests. Our products are manufactured under cGMP-aligned protocols, and our supply chain documentation is built for international commerce, including the export documentation structure required for Thai customs clearance. All of our hemp-derived isolates and blends sit well below the 0.2% THC threshold that governs importation into Thailand under the current regulatory framework.
Ready to open a wholesale account? Partner with Terpene Belt Farms for wholesale and bring verifiable, documentation-ready CDTs and HDTs into your Thai formulation pipeline.
Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Terpenes in Thailand
Are Hemp-Derived Terpenes Legal to Import Into Thailand in 2026?
Hemp-derived terpene products that contain less than 0.2% THC by weight are not governed by the cannabis flower or cannabis extract regulatory frameworks that changed in 2025 and 2026. They sit below the narcotic classification threshold and are treated under general herbal or cosmetic product rules depending on application. Commercial importation requires licensed importer involvement and full documentation, but the product category itself is not prohibited. Personal importation of any hemp or cannabis-derived product remains prohibited by the Thai FDA.
Do I Need a PT 33 Prescription to Buy or Import Terpene Isolates?
No. The PT 33 prescription requirement applies specifically to cannabis flower (bud) purchases from licensed dispensaries. It does not apply to hemp-derived terpene isolates or blends that fall below the 0.2% THC threshold. These products are not governed by the Notification on Controlled Herbs B.E. 2568 that introduced the prescription requirement for cannabis flower.
What Documentation Does Thai Customs Require for Hemp Terpene Shipments?
Each commercial shipment should include export and import permits, a COA from an accredited laboratory verifying THC content and product composition, a product SDS, country of origin documentation, and testing reports that verify THC levels. Customs officers are authorized to inspect any shipment and can seize or destroy consignments that do not comply with applicable Thai law. Working with a licensed Thai importer who has existing FDA relationships is strongly recommended.
Can a Foreign Company Directly Import Hemp Terpenes Into Thailand?
Foreign companies cannot hold the production license for cannabis extracts above the 0.2% THC threshold under the April 2026 Ministerial Regulation B.E. 2569. For compliant hemp terpene products below that threshold, foreign companies can participate as suppliers and importers, but the commercial import process requires engagement with a licensed Thai importer. Consult a qualified Thai legal professional to structure the importation correctly for your specific business model.
What Is the 0.2% THC Threshold and Why Does It Matter?
The 0.2% THC threshold has been the defining regulatory line since June 2022 and has been maintained through every subsequent regulatory change. Products containing less than 0.2% THC by weight are not classified as narcotics under Thai law and are not subject to the Category 5 narcotics licensing regime. For terpene buyers, this threshold is the single most important number in Thai compliance, and it is why every legitimate supplier should be able to provide verified, third-party THC testing documentation for every batch.
Sources Used for This Page
- UNODC: “Narcotics Act B.E. 2522” – unodc.org/cld/document/tha/1979/narcotics_act_b.e._2522.html
- WIPO: “Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medicinal Intelligence Act, B.E. 2542 (1999)” – wipo.int/en/web/traditional-knowledge/w/tklaws/article_0024
- Thai FDA: “Food and Drug Administration, Thailand” – en.fda.moph.go.th/
- Thai FDA: “Importation of health products into the Kingdom of Thailand” – en.fda.moph.go.th/guideline-of-importation-for-personal-use
