Ban sought on products that promote nicotine

A bill due to be tabled in Thailand next year will seek to ban all products that promote nicotine use, according to a story by Loh Foon Fong for The Star (Malaysia).

“We need this law because we are seeing attempts by tobacco companies to come up with more and more of these products,” said Dr. Suthat Rungruang­hiranya, a member of the Thai Health Professional Alliance against Tobacco (ThPAT).

Suthat was quoted as saying that studies on electronic cigarettes had so far been inconclusive in respect of whether they posed a health risk. But it would be better for governments to ban such products.

If it were later found that they could help smokers quit, the ban could always be lifted, he said.