Is HHC legal in Thailand?

Legal status

HHC is a Category 1 psychotropic substance in Thailand, by name. The Ministry of Public Health notification ประกาศกระทรวงสาธารณสุข เรื่อง ระบุชื่อวัตถุออกฤทธิ์ในประเภท ๑ (ฉบับที่ ๔) พ.ศ. ๒๕๖๘, signed on 12 June 2568 and published in the Royal Gazette volume 142, special part 231 ง, page 11, on 27 June 2568 (2025), added it as item 55 of the Category 1 psychotropic list: "เฮกซาไฮโดรแคนนาบินอล หรือ เอชเอชซี (hexahydrocannabinol หรือ HHC)", with the chemical name "6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6a,7,8,9,10,10a-hexahydrobenzo[c]chromen-1-ol". That is the structure PubChem records for hexahydrocannabinol under CID 16050328. The amendment took effect the day after publication and inserts the entry into the B.E. 2565 list, whose clause 2 extends every entry to any stereoisomer, any salt, ester or ether, and any preparation containing it, so both HHC epimers and an HHC vape or edible are reached. Tetrahydrocannabinol is a different entry, item 49 of the same list, which excepts THC occurring in plants of the genus Cannabis; HHC carries no such exception. Section 94 of the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 prohibits producing, importing, exporting, selling, possessing or transiting a psychotropic substance without a licence under section 35(5), and section 149 carries the penalties.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. HHC is a psychotropic substance. No provision of the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 sets death for any psychotropic substance. Life imprisonment is reachable for a psychotropic only under section 172, which punishes inducing, deceiving, threatening or forcing another person to use one: up to 5 years or a fine up to 500,000 baht or both, 1 to 10 years with a weapon or two or more offenders acting together, and 3 years to life and a fine of 300,000 to 5,000,000 baht where the person is a woman or aged 18 or under, or the purpose is a criminal offence. The ordinary penalties are in section 149. For Category 1, section 149 paragraph 1(1) reads "วัตถุออกฤทธิ์ในประเภท ๑ ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกไม่เกินสิบปี และปรับไม่เกินหนึ่งล้านบาท": up to 10 years and a fine up to 1,000,000 baht for unlicensed production, import, export, sale or possession. Section 149 paragraph 2 raises that to 1 to 15 years and a fine of 100,000 to 1,500,000 baht where the conduct is for trade, spreads use among the public, is a sale to a person aged 18 or under, is a sale in the vicinity of a school, a place of worship or government premises, or involves force, the threat of force, or a weapon. Use carries up to 1 year or a fine up to 20,000 baht or both under section 162, and possession for use up to 2 years or a fine up to 40,000 baht or both under section 164. Before 28 June 2568 HHC was not on the list, so any account written before that date can be out of date on this point. The death alternative in this Code sits only in section 145 paragraph 3, it belongs to Category 1 narcotics, and a psychotropic placement does not carry a person into it, whatever the quantity. Section 146 covers narcotic Categories 2 and 4 and is not this substance's section.

If prescribed or medical

No lawful route for a traveller was found. Section 39 paragraph 2 of the Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 exempts a traveller carrying a psychotropic substance of Category 2, 3 or 4 for personal treatment, up to a 30 day quantity with a prescription or certificate. Category 1 is not in that list, so it does not reach HHC. The B.E. 2565 Category 5 narcotic notification, which lists cannabis and hemp extracts and turns on their tetrahydrocannabinol content, is a separate entry and does not license a named Category 1 psychotropic. Any lawful possession would need a licence under section 35(5).

Documentation

Carry nothing labelled or analysed as HHC, including hemp derived vapes and edibles. The placement was read on 3 October 2026 from the Thai FDA Narcotics Control Division copy of amendment No. 4 at https://narcotic.fda.moph.go.th/law-type/pc-211, checked against the rendered Gazette page because the PDF text layer is garbled, and the base B.E. 2565 list at https://narcotic.fda.moph.go.th/law-type/pc-185, whose clause 2 and item 49 are described above, and the later amendment No. 5 (pc-183, gazetted 17 September 2569), which adds only MDMB-FUBINACA, were read as well. The penalties were read from the Code at https://narcotic.fda.moph.go.th/law-type/na-10. No express open reuse licence was located on the cited pages, so only the wording needed for verification is reproduced, with attribution and a direct link. The status is stated as in force on 3 October 2026, and a later notification can move it, so re-read before relying on this.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Thailand’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.