Cannabis

What can weed shops in Pattaya legally sell?

Short answer

Only against a prescription.

Pattaya has hundreds of licensed cannabis shops, but since 26 June 2025 they may sell flower only to customers with a prescription from a licensed practitioner, for up to 30 days. They may not sell online, advertise, or sell for smoking on the premises. Check a shop on the government's licence map: officials say a shop that isn't on it is presumed illegal. Checked 14 October 2026.

Checked · 10 sources · How we check

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Illustration: a small licensed cannabis shop in the evening, jars on lit shelves, a glass counter and a cannabis plant in the window

Pattaya City met cannabis shop operators in May 2026 and counted at least 480 licensed shops, plus others without permits, and announced a sticker scheme for shops that follow the rules (news).6 Across Thailand about 10,000 licensed premises are on the government map, and the health minister has said a shop that isn't on it is presumed not to be legally registered (news).45

How to check a shop

  1. Look the shop up on the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine's licensed premises map.3
  2. Ask whether you need a prescription. Under the rules in force, a licensed shop must ask for one before selling flower.1
  3. Walk away from a shop that sells online, through a machine, or for smoking on the spot: all three are banned.1

What a licensed shop must have

  • A licence under the Thai Traditional Medicine Wisdom Act; under the regulation published on 30 April 2026, new and renewed licences also need a health, drug or herbal-product licence, or folk-healer status.2
  • For licences issued or renewed under that regulation (older licences run until they expire): at least one staff member trained by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine on the premises whenever the shop is open.2
  • Under the same regulation: a working system to remove smoke and smell, and proper storage for the flower.2
  • Records of where its flower comes from, what it uses and what it has in stock.1

What a shop may not do

  • Sell flower without a prescription from a licensed practitioner.1
  • Sell for smoking on the premises.1
  • Sell online, through apps or from vending machines, or advertise.1
  • Sell at temples, dormitories, public parks, zoos or amusement parks.1

What happens in practice

A Bangkok Post report from May 2026 describes shops in Bangkok selling without prescriptions and customers using cannabis on site, against the rules.7 Since 2026 Pattaya City officials, including the mayor and the city's public health office, can inspect shops and seize stock, while the police and district officers make arrests (news).89 Nationally, officials reported 1,326 shop inspections, 83 seizures and 84 licences suspended between October 2025 and August 2026 (news).8

Buying without a prescription puts the shop in breach of its licence. Whether it also puts the buyer at risk is one of the points that are still unclear; the UK government advises not to buy, possess or use cannabis without a Thai prescription.10

What is coming

A medical-use-only Cannabis Control Bill, approved by the Cabinet on 22 September 2026, would turn shops into clinics with medical supervision when their licences are renewed. It is not law yet.5

Questions people ask

Are there weed shops in Pattaya?

Yes. Pattaya City counted at least 480 licensed cannabis shops in May 2026. Since 26 June 2025 they may sell flower only against a prescription from a licensed practitioner.

Are there weed dispensaries or cannabis cafés in Pattaya?

Licensed cannabis shops, often called dispensaries, operate in Pattaya. Since 26 June 2025 they may sell flower only against a prescription, and not for smoking on the premises, so a café where you smoke what you buy is against the rules.

Do I need a prescription to buy weed in Pattaya?

Yes, under the rules in force since 26 June 2025: a licensed shop may sell flower only against a prescription, valid for up to 30 days, from a licensed practitioner such as a doctor, a Thai traditional medicine practitioner or a pharmacist.

How do I know if a cannabis shop is licensed?

Look it up on the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine's licensed premises map. Officials have said a shop that isn't on the map is presumed illegal.

Can I smoke at a weed shop in Pattaya?

Shops may not sell flower for smoking on their premises. A May 2026 news report from Bangkok describes customers still doing so; that is against the rules.

Sources

  1. Full text of the Ministry of Public Health notification 'Controlled Herb (Cannabis) B.E. 2568' (in Thai), Thai PBS. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Ministerial Regulation on licences to study, export, sell or process controlled herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569, Royal Gazette vol. 143 part 28 Kor, 30 April 2026 (in Thai), Royal Thai Government Gazette. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Licensed cannabis premises map (MC-GIS), Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Cannabis shop map and the medical-only bill (news, September 2026, in Thai), Hfocus. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Cabinet approves cannabis control bill (news, 22 September 2026), Nation Thailand. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. Pattaya holds talks with cannabis operators, pushes star-rated shops (news, 21 May 2026), The Pattaya News. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. Cannabis market barely dented by new rules (news, May 2026), Bangkok Post. Checked 14 October 2026.
  8. Enforcement of the 2025 cannabis notification (news, August 2026, in Thai), Hfocus. Checked 14 October 2026.
  9. New ministerial regulation on cannabis shops (news, in Thai), Bangkokbiznews. Checked 14 October 2026.
  10. Thailand travel advice: safety and security (cannabis section, updated 12 October 2026), UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Checked 14 October 2026.

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