Koh Samui did not set out to become a cannabis destination. It was already a place people came to slow down, with long beaches, villas in the hills and a wellness scene that fills its yoga shalas every morning. Then in 2022 Thailand changed its cannabis laws, and the island’s relaxed pace turned out to suit a new kind of visitor. This is how that happened, and what the scene looks like now that the rules have changed again.
2022: The Delisting That Started It
In June 2022 Thailand removed cannabis from its narcotics list, the first country in Asia to do so. Shops opened across the island within months, from Chaweng’s main strip to the quieter lanes of Bophut and Lamai. For a few years the market ran on very light rules, which is where the reputation for “anything goes” came from, and why a lot of the advice you still find online is out of date.
What set Samui apart was the kind of shop that stuck around. Visitors here tend to stay for weeks rather than nights, and they ask questions. The shops that did well were the ones that could explain the difference between a sun-grown Thai strain and an imported Californian cut, and knew their genetics well enough to talk about lineage, terpenes and effects rather than just price.
Why the Island Took to It
Part of it is simply the setting. Samui’s visitors are often here to rest: long-stay travellers, couples in private villas, people combining a retreat with a holiday. A calm evening fits that trip far better than a party does. At the same time, the island kept its culture of doing things quietly and in private, which turned out to matter a great deal once the rules tightened.
The other part is choice. Between locally grown Thai weed and imported Cali weed, visitors found genetics they recognised from menus at home, such as Zkittlez, next to Thai cuts they had never heard of.
2025 and 2026: A Medical-Only Island
The rules changed in stages. On 26 June 2025 cannabis flower became a controlled herb, and the market became medical-only: every flower purchase now needs a PT33 prescription from an authorised practitioner, and the purchase happens in person at a licensed shop. Online sales, delivery and vending machines for flower were prohibited at the same time. On 30 April 2026 a ministerial regulation tightened who can hold a licence and how licensed premises must run.
Enforcement followed, with inspections focused on tourist areas and unlicensed shops closed. And on 22 September 2026 the cabinet approved a draft Cannabis Control Bill that would write the medical-only model into law. It is not law yet, but it points in one direction. Our guide to whether weed is still legal in Thailand in 2026 covers the detail, and the PT33 prescription guide explains the consultation step by step.
What the Scene Looks Like Now
The island still has licensed shops, but the experience has changed shape. A visit now starts with a real consultation, then a prescription, then a purchase you choose with a budtender who knows the shelf. It is slower than it was in 2023, and it is also more careful: labelled product with a known source, and staff who will steer you away from something too strong for a first evening.
For visitors that mostly means planning a little. The consultation window is not always the same as a shop’s opening hours, so it pays to check. At How High in Chaweng and Fisherman’s Village the consultation runs every day from 10am to midnight, and our page on getting a PT33 in Koh Samui has both addresses and the hours to plan around.
Enjoying It the Island Way
The last piece is the one visitors most often get wrong: consumption belongs in private spaces. Beaches, streets and parks are out, and public smoking can bring a fine, a point we cover in can you smoke on the beach in Koh Samui. Your villa, or a hotel room that allows it, is the place. Start low, drink water in the heat, never ride a scooter high, and never carry anything across a border.
If this is your first visit, the complete Koh Samui weed guide for first-time travelers puts all of it in one place. Samui earned its reputation by being easy-going; these days the easy way is also the legal one.
