# Marijuana Rehab in Thailand | Sierra Recovery > Cannabis rehab in Thailand compared honestly with residential treatment in Spain: credible Thai centres named, costs set out. [Home](/) / [Alcohol & drug addiction](/drug-addiction/) / Marijuana rehab in Thailand Cannabis treatment abroad # Marijuana rehab in Thailand, and the Spain alternative An honest comparison for anyone weighing cannabis treatment in Thailand, including which Thai centres are credible, what each option really costs, and where a licensed 28-day programme in the Málaga countryside fits. A private room as standard, a price published in full, and no referral fees paid or accepted by us in either direction. Clinically reviewed by[Nerea Encinas Sánchez](/clinical-team/)Director of the centre, MSc General Health PsychologyRegistered psychologist, COPAO AO13857 Checked for accuracy on 28 July 2026. Next review due July 2027. This page is general information about our programme and is not a substitute for advice about your own situation. Cannabis rehab in Thailand is a real option, and Orchid Recovery, led by Dr Suttipan and widely recognised as one of Thailand’s leading addiction psychiatrists, is the centre we would point to first, alongside The Cabin, The Dawn and The Hills. Thai residential treatment runs broadly from around US$9,000 a month to US$18,000 and above. Sierra Recovery is the Spanish alternative: a licensed 28-day residential programme in the Málaga countryside published in full at £9,900, around three hours from the UK rather than twelve, with in-person aftercare in London on return. We neither pay nor accept referral fees, so nothing on this page depends on where you go. Below is how to decide between them. Programme 28 days residential Published price £9,900 Group work 3 sessions a day Room Private, as standard Language English throughout Registration N.I.C.A. 67331 ## Why people search for cannabis rehab in Thailand Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022 and dispensaries appeared in enormous numbers, particularly in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the islands. The rules have tightened since, with recreational sale restricted and a prescription-led framework reintroduced, but the practical situation for a visitor is that cannabis has been easy to obtain and socially unremarkable in a way it is not in the United Kingdom or most of Europe. Two groups end up searching for this. People living in or travelling through Thailand whose use escalated there and who now want treatment locally. And people elsewhere who are considering Thailand as a destination for treatment because the cost of residential rehab in Asia is well below private rates at home. This page is honest about both, including the parts that count against treatment abroad. We are in Spain. If Thailand is the right answer for you, it is worth saying which centres there are credible rather than pretending the option does not exist. ## Thailand or Spain: how to actually decide Distance from the supply and the routine is the largest single predictor of whether a residential stay holds. Beyond that, the sensible comparison is on flight time, aftercare, cost and regulation rather than on photographs of pools, which look identical everywhere. Consideration Thailand Spain, at Sierra Flight from the UK Roughly 11 to 13 hours, plus a domestic transfer for most centres Around 3 hours to Málaga, then 45 minutes by road Time zone for family contact Six or seven hours ahead of the UK One hour ahead of the UK Typical residential cost Broadly from around US$9,000 a month at the more accessible centres up to US$18,000 and above at the luxury end £9,900 for 28 days, published in full, private room included Aftercare on return Usually online only Online, or in person at the PROMIS clinics in London for clients returning to the UK Cannabis in the surrounding environment Widely available and socially normalised in tourist areas Illegal and not part of the surrounding culture Regulation you can check yourself Varies by centre. Ask for the licence and the register it sits on N.I.C.A. 67331 on the Junta de Andalucía public register Returning after treatment A long journey home at the point you are most fragile A short flight, and a visitable distance for family Thailand cost ranges are broad published figures rather than quotations, and every centre sets its own fees. Check current prices with the centre directly. For a fuller breakdown see our guide to [the real cost of rehab in Thailand](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-thailand/). ## Credible centres in Thailand If Thailand is where you want to be treated, these are the centres we would consider reputable and would be comfortable naming. We have no financial arrangement that depends on where you go, and we neither pay nor accept referral fees. Orchid Recovery is the one we would point to first. It is led by Dr Suttipan, widely recognised as one of Thailand's leading addiction psychiatrists, with extensive experience treating international clients, and it sits at the more accessible end of the cost range rather than the luxury end. The Cabin, The Dawn and The Hills are also established centres treating international clients in English. Whichever you consider, ask the same questions you should ask us: what is the licence and which register does it sit on, what exactly does the price include, is a detox part of it or billed separately, and does anyone receive a fee for sending you there. ## Where treatment at Sierra actually happens People ask for photographs before they ask about therapy, and they are right to. You are deciding whether you could live somewhere for a month. This is the place, not a stock library. The pool and terrace, open through the day Your own private room, included as standard The veranda, where most groups spill out to Cooked by our Michelin-trained chef, three times a day The horses live here, on the land Forty hectares of working farmland, forty five minutes from Malaga [See the full gallery](/facilities/) · [how people get here](/travelling-to-spain-for-treatment/). ## What cannabis dependence actually involves The belief that cannabis is not addictive is the biggest obstacle to anyone getting help for it. Dependence is recognised in both major diagnostic systems, around one in ten people who use cannabis develop it, and the figure rises for daily use and for those who start young. Rising potency has made it more likely rather than less. Withdrawal is real: irritability, anger, anxiety, insomnia, vivid or disturbing dreams, appetite loss and low mood, starting within a day or two, peaking in the first week and settling over two to four weeks. Sleep is the last thing to return. It is not medically dangerous, which is why most people do not need a hospital detox for cannabis alone, but it is very difficult to sit through at home surrounded by the same routine and the same supply. Our [cannabis addiction treatment page](/cannabis-addiction-treatment/) sets out the full picture. ## What we are, and what we are not Sierra Recovery is entered in the Registro Andaluz de Centros, Servicios y Establecimientos Sanitarios (the Andalusian register of health centres, services and establishments) under N.I.C.A. 67331, authorised by the Junta de Andalucía for the care unit atención sanitaria a drogodependientes (healthcare for drug dependency, authorised care unit U.71). That is a registered health centre with a supervised treatment residence. It is not a hospital and it is not a detox unit. Where your assessment shows a medically supervised withdrawal is needed, most often because of alcohol or benzodiazepines used alongside, it is completed in an appropriate medical setting before you arrive and billed separately. You can [check our registration yourself](/regulation-and-licensing/) on the Junta's public register. ### Weighing Thailand against Spain? The assessment is free and it is not a sales call. If Thailand or somewhere closer to home is the better answer for you, a clinician will say so. [How admission works](/admissions/) [+44 1202 653136](tel:+441202653136) ## What a day at Sierra looks like Nobody arrives knowing how twenty eight days are actually spent. This is the real timetable, Monday to Friday. Time What happens 08:00 Breakfast, cooked by a Michelin-trained chef 09:15 Planning: the day is set out together 10:30 Process group, the harder one 12:00 Therapeutic group 13:15 Lunch 14:30 Psychoeducation, working through the curriculum 16:00 Group activity, often outdoors or with the horses 18:30 Dinner 20:00 Day closing, together Saturdays turn to holistic and body-based work. Sundays are a supervised excursion, because reconnecting with the world outside a clinic is part of the treatment rather than a break from it. 28days, the typical stay 3group sessions a day 17curriculum modules 1986PROMIS method, developed in ## What the treatment actually involves The programme runs Monday to Friday on a fixed structure, with Saturdays given to holistic and body-based work and Sundays to a supervised excursion. Rather than list therapy names, here is what each part of the week is for. Group work Psychoeducation One-to-one Holistic Equine Aftercare ### Three group sessions a day, five days a week The day opens with a process group at 10:30, a second therapeutic group runs at midday, and a psychoeducation session follows lunch. A group activity fills the late afternoon and the day closes together in the evening. That is roughly fifteen structured group contacts a week, which is the part most people underestimate before they arrive and value most afterwards. Groups are small, in English, and run by the clinical team. Hearing someone else describe your own thinking back to you does something that individual work cannot, and it is the fastest route out of the isolation that cannabis use builds. ### A seventeen-module curriculum, not a rest cure The psychoeducation strand moves through a fixed seventeen-module curriculum written by our clinical director. It is the core of what we call the Regulation Model, which is our adaptation of the PROMIS Clinics methodology to this centre rather than a model of our own invention. It covers skills training, communication styles, boundaries and decision-making, trigger recognition, self-esteem and self-concept, dual diagnosis, self-care and habits, emotions, crisis identification and management, suicide prevention, goals, grief, values, trauma and relapse, perfectionism, loneliness and isolation, and cross-addiction. Every module runs the same structure: check-in, theory, an experiential dynamic, shared reflection, and a commitment carried into the week. The cognitive work uses the ABC model, the same structure that underpins cognitive behavioural approaches: the event, the belief you attach to it, and the consequence that follows. It is taught, practised, applied between sessions and reviewed, rather than talked about once. ### Individual therapy alongside the group programme One-to-one sessions run three times a week and are where the material that will not surface in a group gets worked. For most people that is the thing underneath the use rather than the use itself. You are treated by the same small team throughout, in the same house. Nobody is handed between departments, and there is no rotation of therapists mid-stay. ### Yoga, meditation and body-based work Saturdays turn to holistic and body-based practice: yoga, meditation and mindfulness, breathwork, art, and time outdoors on the land. This is not decoration and it is not a spa timetable. Early recovery is a physiological event as much as a psychological one, and sleep, appetite and the ability to sit still are usually the first things to return. The self-care and habits module runs alongside it, treating rest as a right rather than a reward and food as connection rather than control. ### Equine therapy on working farmland The horses live here, on the forty hectares around the house, and equine work is part of the working week. Horses respond to what you are actually feeling rather than what you say you are feeling, which is why the work reaches people who have learned to talk their way around a therapy session. ### What happens when you go home Aftercare is planned before you leave rather than mentioned on the last day. For clients returning to the UK, care continues online or in person at the PROMIS clinics in London, with a weekly session for a full year, more than 48 in the twelve months after discharge, and a written handover to your GP so nothing has to be explained from scratch. For clients elsewhere in Europe we arrange continuity online and help find local services. Alongside that, mutual-aid groups are free, run everywhere, and are worth using whatever else you choose. ## Who will actually treat you A small team, in one house, in English. You are not handed between departments and there is no rotation of therapists halfway through your stay. ### Nerea Encinas Sánchez Director · General Health Psychologist MSc General Health Psychology. Leads clinical standards, the assessment you have before you travel, and admissions. ### Berenice Paramés Jones General Health Psychologist Individual and group psychological work inside the house, crisis follow-up and coordination of the group programme. ### Marta Leal Social worker Family mediation, links to services back home, and preparing for independent life after discharge. ### Robin Lefever Founder of Sierra Recovery; MD, PROMIS Clinics UK Founder of Sierra Recovery and Managing Director of PROMIS Clinics, whose method this programme adapts. PROMIS has been treating addiction in the United Kingdom since the mid-1980s, and Robin has worked in addiction treatment for around 35 years, with thousands of patients treated with the PROMIS method in the United Kingdom. [Meet the whole clinical team and their qualifications](/clinical-team/). ## Treatment options for cannabis addiction, and how they compare Residential rehab is one treatment option among several, and it is not automatically the right one. Being straight about that is more useful to you than a page that pretends otherwise. Option What it involves, and who it suits Residential rehab inpatient treatment Living at the centre for the whole programme. It suits daily, high-potency use where cutting down at home has failed, or where anxiety or psychosis risk sits alongside. Outpatient treatment day programmes and therapy sessions Attending sessions and going home between them. A reasonable first attempt where use is not yet daily and home is free of the routine that sustains it. Community and NHS services Free local drug and alcohol treatment services, reached through your GP or by self-referral. Waiting times vary and residential placements are rationed, but the support is real and it costs nothing. For many people this is the right first step rather than a lesser one. Mutual aid and support groups Free peer support meeting in person and online, everywhere, with no waiting list and no cost. Worth using alongside whatever else you choose rather than instead of it. A treatment plan should be built around your circumstances. If an outpatient or community route fits you better, we will say so at assessment and we will not charge you for the conversation. ## The therapies used, in plain terms Every centre lists the same acronyms, so here is what each one actually is and where it appears in the week. Therapy What it is, and when you would meet it here Cognitive behavioural therapy CBT, and the related REBT Evidence-based work on the link between an event, the belief you attach to it and what you then do. Taught through the ABC model in psychoeducation, practised in group therapy and applied between sessions. It is the backbone of the cognitive work rather than an optional extra. Acceptance and commitment therapy ACT Learning to have a difficult feeling without having to act on it, and choosing behaviour by your values instead. Module eight, on emotions, is built on it. Dialectical behaviour therapy DBT Distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal skills, used where emotions arrive faster and larger than they can be managed. See [DBT](/dialectical-behaviour-therapy/). EMDR A structured trauma therapy, used where trauma is driving the use and always after stabilisation rather than before it. See [EMDR](/emdr-therapy/). Group therapy Three group sessions a day, five days a week: a process group, a therapeutic group and psychoeducation. It is the largest single component of the treatment programme. See [group therapy](/group-therapy-for-addiction/). Individual therapy one-to-one counselling Three therapy sessions a week with the same clinician throughout, where material that will not surface in a group gets worked. Family therapy Offered where it is wanted, in person or online, because the people around you are part of what happens next. See [the family programme](/family-programme/). Motivational interviewing Used throughout rather than booked as a session. It is the stance the team takes: working with your reasons for change rather than arguing you into someone else’s. Holistic therapies Yoga, mindfulness and meditation, breathwork, art and equine work, on Saturdays and through the week. See [equine therapy](/equine-therapy/) and [all our therapies](/therapies/). Every element above is delivered by the clinical team as part of the residential programme. Your treatment plan sets out which of them apply to you, and it is reviewed during the stay rather than fixed on day one. ## Where else to get help, free Not everyone needs residential rehab, and nobody should be waiting on a private programme before they get any support at all. Everything below is free, and none of these organisations pays or receives a fee from us. Organisation What they do [NHS drug and alcohol services](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/drug-addiction-getting-help/) Free local treatment services, reached through your GP or by self-referral. The usual starting point for community-based drug and alcohol treatment. [Talk to FRANK](https://www.talktofrank.com/) Confidential drugs information and advice, 24 hours a day, on 0300 123 6600. No judgement and no cost. [Narcotics Anonymous](https://ukna.org/) Free mutual aid meetings for anyone with a drug problem, in person and online, with no cost and no waiting list. [We Are With You](https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/) Free, confidential support for drug, alcohol and mental health problems, in person in many areas and by webchat. [Adfam](https://adfam.org.uk/) Support and information for families and friends affected by someone else’s drug, alcohol or gambling use. [Samaritans](https://www.samaritans.org/) Free and confidential, 24 hours a day on 116 123, for anyone struggling to cope or having thoughts of suicide. Sierra Recovery neither pays nor accepts referral fees, so nothing on this list depends on where you go. If a free or community service is the right fit for you, use it. ## How to get ready, wherever you go - Compare on licence, not on photographsAsk any centre abroad for its registration number and the register it sits on, then look it up yourself. Ours is N.I.C.A. 67331 on the Junta de Andalucía register. A centre that cannot answer this quickly is telling you something. - Ask who gets paid for the referralReferral fees are common in this industry and they distort advice. We neither pay nor accept them. Ask any centre, and any comparison website, the same question. - Work out the aftercare before the treatmentA month anywhere is the easy part. What continues afterwards decides the outcome, and distance makes in-person aftercare impractical. - Be accurate about potency, form and what else is involvedHerbal, resin, concentrate, vape or edible, and how much per day, plus alcohol, benzodiazepines and anything else. This decides whether a medically supervised withdrawal is needed first. - Ask what the price actually includesOurs is published: private room, meals, the core therapy programme, and a year of weekly UK aftercare, with medical, psychiatric, laboratory and hospital costs quoted separately. You get an itemised written quotation before admission. ## How Sierra compares with private cannabis rehab at home What you get Sierra Recovery Typical private residential clinic 28-day residential programme £9,900, published in full UK £12,000–£40,000 · Australia A$30,000–A$50,000 Is the price on the website Yes, in full Usually "contact us for pricing" Your own private room Included as standard Often an upgrade Referral fees paid to third parties None Common Written itemised quotation before admission Yes Varies Distance from the people and places tied to use Rural Andalucía Usually close to home Medically supervised detox Arranged and quoted separately Quoted separately Comparison figures are the published ranges collected on our [cost calculator](/cost-calculator/): the United Kingdom at roughly £12,000 to £40,000 a month, Australia at roughly A$30,000 to A$50,000, and the United States at roughly $20,000 to $40,000 for a 30-day programme. New Zealand, South African and Canadian ranges are set out on the [country cost guides](/local-treatment-guides/). Indicative, not a quotation. Every clinic sets its own fees. ## When cannabis sits on top of something else Cannabis is very often doing a job: holding down anxiety, blunting trauma, making an untreated depression tolerable or quieting undiagnosed ADHD. Treating the using while sending the rest elsewhere rarely holds. At Sierra the emotional and trauma work runs alongside the addiction curriculum rather than after it. See [anxiety](/anxiety-rehab-spain/), [dual diagnosis](/dual-diagnosis-rehab-spain/) and [trauma and addiction](/trauma-and-addiction-rehab-spain/). ## When is it time? If daily use has narrowed your life, if you have tried to stop and could not, or if the anxiety has grown alongside it, that is enough. Where you get treated matters less than whether you get treated, and the absence of drama is not evidence that nothing is wrong. ### Talk to a clinician today You will speak to our admissions team, all of them clinicians. Confidential, no obligation, and we will tell you honestly whether this programme fits or whether something closer to home would serve you better. [See how admission works](/admissions/) [What £9,900 covers](/pricing/) ## Questions people actually ask Is cannabis legal in Thailand? Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022, and the rules have tightened since, moving towards a prescription-led framework with recreational sale restricted. The practical position for a visitor has been that cannabis is easy to obtain and socially unremarkable in tourist areas, which is worth weighing if you are considering Thailand as a place to stop using it. Check the current legal position before travelling, as it has changed more than once. Which rehabs in Thailand would you recommend? Orchid Recovery is the one we would point to first. It is led by Dr Suttipan, widely recognised as one of Thailand's leading addiction psychiatrists, with extensive experience treating international clients, and it sits at the more accessible end of the cost range. The Cabin, The Dawn and The Hills are also established centres treating international clients in English. We neither pay nor accept referral fees, so nothing about that list depends on where you go. How much does rehab in Thailand cost? Broadly from around US$9,000 a month at the more accessible centres up to US$18,000 and above at the luxury end. These are published ranges rather than quotations and every centre sets its own fees, so check current prices directly. Our guide to the cost of rehab in Thailand sets out the detail. For comparison, Sierra is published at GBP 9,900 for 28 days with a private room included. Do I need a detox for cannabis? Usually not for cannabis on its own, because withdrawal is difficult rather than medically dangerous. We assess everyone before they travel because cannabis is often used alongside alcohol or benzodiazepines, and withdrawal from those can be dangerous. Where a medically supervised detox is needed it is completed in an appropriate medical setting before admission and billed separately. Is Spain a better choice than Thailand? It depends on where you are and what you need afterwards. Spain is around three hours from the UK rather than twelve, one hour ahead rather than six or seven, close enough for family to visit, and close enough for in-person aftercare in London. Thailand suits people already in the region, or those who specifically want the distance. The honest answer is that both work, and the aftercare arrangement should decide it more than the setting does. How long is the programme at Sierra and what does it cost? It is a 28-day residential programme, published in full at GBP 9,900. That covers a private room, meals, the core therapy programme, and a year of weekly UK aftercare. Detox, if needed, is arranged and billed separately, as are medical, psychiatric and laboratory costs. You get an itemised written quotation before admission. How do I get help for cannabis addiction? The first step towards recovery is an assessment, and ours is free and carries no obligation. You can also seek help through your GP, through a free local drug and alcohol treatment service, or through a mutual aid group, and none of those routes costs anything. If you want to talk it through with a clinician, call +44 1202 653136 and you will reach our admissions team. What does cannabis addiction treatment involve, from start to finish? The course of treatment runs in four stages. An assessment before you travel, which decides whether a medically supervised detox is needed first. Any detox, completed in an appropriate medical setting and billed separately. Then the 28-day residential treatment programme itself: three group therapy sessions a day, individual therapy three times a week and the seventeen-module curriculum. Then aftercare, agreed before you leave and continuing online or in person in London. How much does cannabis rehab cost, and what affects the price? Sierra publishes a single figure: GBP 9,900 for the 28-day residential programme, with a private room included. What changes the total is whether you need a medically supervised detox, which is arranged and billed separately, and any medical, psychiatric or laboratory costs. Private residential rehab elsewhere commonly runs from around GBP 12,000 to GBP 40,000 a month in the United Kingdom and from roughly A$30,000 to A$50,000 in Australia. You get an itemised written quotation before admission, and we neither pay nor accept referral fees. What are the signs and symptoms of cannabis addiction? Cannabis withdrawal symptoms include irritability, anxiety, insomnia, vivid dreams and appetite loss, peaking in the first week. The signs of dependence are daily use, needing more or stronger for the same effect, and not being able to sleep without it. Is lasting recovery from cannabis addiction actually possible? Yes, and the evidence is better than the public conversation suggests. What predicts long-term recovery is not willpower but what is in place afterwards: continuing therapy, a treated mental health condition, a support network and a relapse plan that was written before it was needed. That is why completing cannabis rehab matters less on its own than what follows it, and why aftercare is planned during the stay, so it is in place before you leave. How can I help someone with cannabis addiction? Start by getting support for yourself, because living alongside someone with an addiction is its own burden and Adfam and Al-Anon exist for exactly that. Beyond that: raise it when they are not intoxicated, be specific about what you have seen rather than general about what they are, and offer a concrete next step such as an assessment or a call to a free service. Ultimatums delivered in anger rarely work. We speak to families every day and that conversation costs nothing. + ## Talk to a clinician today You will speak to our admissions team, English-speaking clinicians who know the programme and the people in it. Callback within 24 hours. Step 1 of 3 Confidential, and no obligation Registered health centre. Authorised by the Junta de Andalucía, N.I.C.A. 67331. ### Related pages [The Regulation Model](/the-regulation-model/)[Assessment & detox](/medical-assessment-and-detox/)[Our programme](/our-programme-at-sierra-recovery/)[Dual diagnosis](/dual-diagnosis-rehab-spain/)[Pricing](/pricing/)[Admissions](/admissions/) --- Source: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/marijuana-rehab-in-thailand/ Retrieved: 2026-08-27 Canonical HTML version of this page: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/marijuana-rehab-in-thailand/