Everyday law
Alcohol hours, vaping, cannabis today, drones, gambling — the rules as written.
Cannabis: medical-only since June 2025 (the recreational window has closed)
This is the single most out-of-date topic in every Thailand forum. Cannabis was removed from the narcotics list in June 2022, and for three years a large recreational dispensary market operated in a legal grey zone. That era has ended. On 25 June 2025 the Ministry of Public Health reclassified cannabis flower as a "controlled herb" under the Protection and Promotion of Thai Traditional Medicine Knowledge Act B.E. 2542 (1999), and buying cannabis flower now legally requires a medical prescription (form PT 33) issued by a licensed Thai practitioner. It is medical use, not recreational, that the law now permits. In practice: dispensaries that remain open are supposed to sell only to customers with a prescription and to have a certified practitioner on site; of roughly 18,000 shops, thousands have closed since the rule changed. Smoking cannabis in public can still be penalised as a public nuisance. CBD and hemp products below 0.2% THC remain legal without a prescription. Importing or exporting cannabis without a licence is a serious offence. For a visitor the safe reading is simple: treat cannabis as a regulated medicine, not a tourist product, and do not assume a shop being open means what it sells you is legal for you to buy or carry.
Vapes and e-cigarettes: illegal to bring in, sell or possess — and enforced
Unlike cannabis, this rule has not softened — it has hardened. E-cigarettes, vape pens, e-liquids, and baraku/shisha electronic devices have been illegal to import since a November 2014 Ministry of Commerce order, and their sale or supply is banned by a Consumer Protection Board order carrying up to three years' imprisonment or a fine up to 600,000 baht. Importing can be prosecuted under the Customs Act with heavy fines. There is no tourist exemption: visitors are treated exactly as residents, and the Royal Thai Embassy openly warns travellers not to bring vaping devices into the country. Enforcement stepped up sharply through 2025 into 2026, with a nationwide crackdown, airport confiscations, tens of thousands of devices seized, and on-the-spot fines that in practice have run into the tens of thousands of baht — with detention legally possible. The practical rule for anyone entering Thailand: leave the vape at home. Do not pack it, do not buy one on the street here, and do not assume that because ordinary cigarettes are sold everywhere, vapes occupy the same legal space — they do not.
Alcohol: the 2pm–5pm ban is gone, but the rules that remain still catch people
Another rule that changed recently: the decades-old ban on selling alcohol between 2pm and 5pm — introduced in 1972 and a perennial surprise to tourists — was lifted with effect from December 2025. Under the amended controls, retail alcohol sales are permitted from 11am to midnight. The legal drinking age is 20, and shops can ask for ID. What still trips people up: alcohol sales are restricted on five major Buddhist holy days (Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asahna Bucha, the start of Buddhist Lent/Khao Phansa, and the end of Lent/Ok Phansa). Since 2025 this ban is no longer total — supermarkets and shops still cannot sell on those days, but bars, restaurants and hotels are now allowed to serve — so the day the calendar lands on matters. Selling alcohol near schools and temples, to under-20s, or via vending machines is prohibited, and drinking in some public places (parks, government offices, on vehicles on public roads) is an offence. Buying a beer at 3pm is now fine; buying one from a 7-Eleven on Visakha Bucha day is not.
Smoking: banned on many beaches and in most public indoor spaces
Thailand has strict tobacco-control rules that catch tourists who assume the beach is a free-for-all. Since 2017 smoking has been banned on a list of popular public beaches under a Department of Marine and Coastal Resources order, with fines up to 100,000 baht or up to a year's imprisonment for serious cases — in practice you are moved on or fined, and designated smoking zones are provided at some beaches. Under the Non-Smokers' Health Protection Act B.E. 2560 (2017), smoking is prohibited in most enclosed public places and workplaces — airports, malls, markets, restaurants (including many open-air ones), public transport and government buildings — with fines for offenders and larger fines for venue owners who allow it. A lesser-known rule that has caught residents: since 2019 smoking inside your own home can be treated as domestic violence if the smoke harms family members' health. Ordinary cigarettes are legal to buy and sold widely, but you must have a passport-age face for the 20-plus age limit and stick to permitted areas. Vaping, as covered separately, is a different and far more serious matter — it is banned outright.
Gambling: broadly illegal, with two legal exceptions — and a casino debate in flux
Gambling is illegal in Thailand by default under the Gambling Act B.E. 2478 (1935), which bans most betting, card games for money, and the operation of gambling dens. There are two long-standing legal exceptions: the state-run Government Lottery (the twice-monthly draw) and licensed horse racing. Everything else — casinos, unlicensed lotteries, sports betting, and online gambling in all its forms — is unlawful, and online gambling is actively policed, with sites blocked and account holders investigated. Playing informally for small stakes is technically an offence, though enforcement focuses on operators. The live question is casinos. An "Entertainment Complex" bill that would license a small number of integrated resorts with casino floors was approved in principle by the cabinet in early 2025, then shelved in mid-2025 after public opposition and political upheaval, and lapsed when parliament was dissolved at the end of 2025. As of mid-2026 it is being revived under a new coalition, with debate possible later in the year — but as things stand today, no casino is legal in Thailand, and you should treat any that appears to operate as illegal.
Lèse-majesté and speech: the one line no visitor should test
Thailand protects the monarchy with one of the world's strictest lèse-majesté laws, and it is essential for any foreigner to understand it plainly and without editorialising. Section 112 of the Criminal Code makes defaming, insulting or threatening the King, Queen, Heir-apparent or Regent an offence punishable by three to fifteen years' imprisonment per count — and counts can stack. Cases can be initiated by any member of the public, not only the authorities, and the law has been applied to social-media posts, shared content, and comments made abroad. The Computer Crime Act B.E. 2550 (2007) adds separate liability for content posted or shared online. The practical guidance is simple and firm: do not post, share, "like" in a way that could be read as endorsement, or say anything that could be construed as insulting the monarchy, including about images on currency or portraits displayed in public. This is not a rule that bends for tourists or for humour, and "I didn't know" is not a defence. Show the ordinary respect you would extend anywhere — stand for the royal anthem in cinemas, do not deface images of the King — and steer conversations about the monarchy away from anything that could be taken as disparaging.
Drones: register with two agencies before you fly
Flying a drone in Thailand legally means registering it before it leaves the ground, and the rule catches most hobbyist travellers by surprise. A drone with a camera, or weighing over 2 kg, must be registered with two bodies: the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), which handles the aircraft/operator registration, and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), which registers the radio-frequency device. Registration is required regardless of the drone's value and applies to visitors, not just residents. Flying an unregistered drone is an offence that can carry heavy fines and, in principle, imprisonment. Beyond registration, standard no-fly restrictions apply: keep clear of airports and flight paths, government and military installations, and the Grand Palace and similar sensitive sites; do not fly over crowds or private property without consent; and stick to daylight, line-of-sight, and modest altitudes. Insurance is also required for registration. The practical takeaway: if you are bringing a drone, start the CAAT and NBTC registration process well before you travel, because approval is not instant, and flying first and registering later is not an option the law allows.
Carrying ID and handling a police check
Foreigners in Thailand are legally required to be able to produce their passport (with the current entry stamp or visa) on demand — Section 40 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979) requires a foreigner to carry it and show it to an immigration or police officer when asked. In practice most people carry a clear photo or copy of the passport photo page and visa stamp for everyday outings and keep the original secure, but strictly the law expects the document itself, and at a formal check a copy may not satisfy the officer. Roadside and street checks do happen, particularly of riders and in nightlife areas. A lawful traffic fine is issued as a ticket, against which you pay at a police station or designated point; if an officer proposes settling a matter informally on the spot, you are entitled to ask for the official ticket and to pay the stated fine rather than anything more. Stay calm, polite and cooperative; do not run a checkpoint; and remember the Tourist Police line 1155 offers English-language help and can assist if you feel a check is not being handled properly. Nothing here is a substitute for compliance — carry your documents, wear the helmet, and keep the interaction courteous.
General information, not legal advice. Laws and practice change; for a decision that matters, confirm with the authority named in the sources or a licensed professional.