Tag: Thailand

  • Thai Health Officials Reporting New EVALI Cases

    Thai Health Officials Reporting New EVALI Cases

    Scenes like this are rare in Thailand. This vaper in Koh Samui, Thailand could face fines or even jail. (Timothy S. Donahue)

    A 32-year-old man from Buri Ram, Thailand, has been diagnosed with EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury), according to the Department of Disease Control (DDC) at the Ministry of Public Health.

    The patient, who was admitted to Buri Ram Hospital, was coughing up blood, and his condition quickly developed into acute and severe pneumonia, said Dr Chayanan Sittibusaya, director of the ministry’s Division of Tobacco Product Control.

    “We don’t usually encounter acute pneumonia and the symptoms deteriorated quickly within 24 to 36 hours. In this case, he had to be put on a ventilator,” he said, as reported by media. “All tests for infection, such as Covid-19, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and others, were negative. After the patient was able to remove his breathing tube, he told doctors he took about 400 puffs of an e-cigarette per day, every day.”

    Chayanan said it was unclear how long the man had pursued an aggressive smoking habit. However, he also had underlying diseases, including diabetes and high blood pressure. A detailed physical examination revealed white patches on his lungs.

    The patient’s condition is improving overall, and there is no infection. However, he was experiencing symptoms similar to nicotine withdrawal.

    The hospital brought the case to the attention of the Buri Ram provincial public health office to investigate the disease further.

    E-cigarettes are prohibited in the country, but they are easily available both online and offline, despite the authorities’ vow to deal with them.

  • Thailand: Police Seize $300,000 in Illegal Vapes

    Thailand: Police Seize $300,000 in Illegal Vapes

    Credit: Natanaelginting.

    Police conducted a raid on a warehouse owned by a major online e-cigarette dealer in northern Thailand, YAI VAPE, confiscating 30,000 items valued at 10 million baht ($291,000).

    The police discovered e-cigarettes disguised as toys to evade detection. The Ministry of Public Health is advocating for legislative changes to close legal loopholes, according to media reports.

    Pol. Lt. Gen. Nirundorn disclosed that the inquiry commenced with the discovery of the website yaivapeth.com, which promoted e-cigarettes and related items and offered nationwide delivery services.

    Earlier this week, child health and rights experts in the country began calling for more awareness of the dangers of vaping around children, claiming exposure to secondhand vapor from vaping at home could be seen as a violation of Thailand’s child protection laws.

  • Thailand: Home Vaping Violates Child Protection Laws

    Thailand: Home Vaping Violates Child Protection Laws

    VV Archives

    Exposure to secondhand vapor from vaping at home could be considered a violation of Thailand’s child protection laws, according to child health and rights experts who are calling for more awareness of the dangers of vaping around children, reports The Pattaya Mail.

    Under national laws, vaping around children could be considered “domestic violence,” according to Thai authorities. They are calling for stricter enforcement.

    The Royal College of Pediatricians of Thailand wants stronger government measures to restrict the import and sale of e-cigarettes and increase educational campaigns about the risks of nicotine.

  • Thailand: Critics Call for Targeted Vaping Laws

    Thailand: Critics Call for Targeted Vaping Laws

    Photo: Looker Studio | Carsten Reisinger

    Thailand should create a law specifically targeting vaping, Deputy Public Health Minister Thanakrit Jitareerat told the National Health Commission Office on Aug. 1, according to a report in The Taiger.

    With various agencies independently enforcing measures based on different laws, Thailand has been unable to halt the spread of vaping, according to the minister.

    “The measures we have rolled out to date have proved ineffective, so a specific law on the matter must be drafted as soon as possible, describing vaping as a serious threat to society,” Jitareerat was quoted as saying.

    National Health Commission Office Chairman Banjerd Singkaneti countered that the government should refine existing laws to provide clearer guidelines for authorities.

    “In the long run, possession of e-cigarettes should be clearly prohibited by law so that the police will have no excuse not to pursue legal action,” Banjerd said.

    The Office of the Consumer Protection Board seized 100,000 illegal e-cigarettes in 2023, up from 27,000 in 2020.

  • Activists Urge Thailand to Lift E-cigarette Ban

    Activists Urge Thailand to Lift E-cigarette Ban

    Photo: Teo

    End Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST) is urging Thailand to legalize vaping, citing the U.K. progressive approach to e-cigarettes as an example, reports Thaiger.

    In Thailand, the sale and use of e-cigarettes are illegal, creating an unregulated black market and increased access for minors, according to ECST. 

    “E-cigarettes are legal in England, allowing its government to impose measures and effectively enforce the regulations to protect minors,” said Asa Saligupta, a representative of the ECST and the Facebook page “What are e-cigarettes?” “The U.K. government is set to allow £45 million [$56.05 million] to reduce the country’s smoking rate and another £3 million for clamping down on shops selling vapes to youths under the age of 18.” 

    “The ban [in Thailand] is claimed to protect minors, but the sales and use of e-cigarettes are overt and commonplace. Children can easily access e-cigarettes through online channels without any regulations or inspections,” said Saligupta. 

    Following the U.K.’s example could be the solution to Thailand’s e-cigarette policy issues, according to Maris Karanyawat. “The subcommittee for studying factors affecting the health system and monitoring the enforcement of public health laws issued a report, which is based on a comprehensive study and opinions of all groups involved in the e-cigarette issue. The report suggests that Thailand should lift the ban on e-cigarettes so that they can be appropriately controlled through the 2017 Tobacco Products Control Act.” 

    In preparation for the upcoming tenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, scheduled to take place in Panama in November, Karanyawat said, “We hope that the Thai delegates will take into account the public health committee’s report, which recommends that a tobacco harm reduction approach be developed based on new scientific evidence which shows that e-cigarettes should be controlled differently from combustible cigarettes because they have different harmful effects.” 

  • Police in Thailand Seize $2.3 Million in Illegal Vapes

    Police in Thailand Seize $2.3 Million in Illegal Vapes

    Credit: a3701027

    Police in Thailand seized vaping devices and accessories valued at over 80 million baht ($2.294 million) during police raids in Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom on Saturday.

    Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau deputy commissioner Maj-General Pairoj Sukruaythanachote told a press conference that three locations, including a warehouse, were searched in Nakhon Pathom’s Mueang district.

    He said two people were arrested and nearly 50 million baht worth of vaping devices and accessories was confiscated during the raids, according to Nation Thailand.

    In Bangkok, police searched a condominium in Ratchathewi district where another nearly 50 million baht worth of vaping devices and accessories was confiscated, Pairoj said, adding that a suspect was arrested during the raid.

    Those arrested were charged with importing prohibited items, violating the Consumer Protection Act and the Export-Import Act. Further investigations are underway to find other people involved, police said.

    Activists are confident that Thailand will legalize vaping after the likely general elections in May. 

    Vaping is currently prohibited in the kingdom, but discussions are ongoing to end the ban, according to ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST).

  • Saligupta: ‘Thailand to Legalize Vaping After Elections’

    Saligupta: ‘Thailand to Legalize Vaping After Elections’

    Asa Saligupta

    Activists are confident that Thailand will legalize vaping after the likely general elections in May. Vaping is currently prohibited in the kingdom, but discussions are ongoing to end the ban, according to ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST).

    “This work has been several years in the making. It hasn’t stopped. In fact, draft vaping legislation awaits Thailand’s parliament to debate and ratify,” said ECST Director Asa Saligupta.

    Saligupta notes that while anti-vaping campaigners appear to have the ear of the public health minister, most politicians and the public remain supportive of lifting the country’s vaping ban.

    “I remain fully confident that safer nicotine products will be regulated in Thailand. Regulation will give consumers better protection, encourage more smokers to quit deadly cigarettes, and ensure we have much better control over youth vaping with a strict purchase age,” he said.

    ECST says smoking kills about 50,000 Thai people every year.

    “If we want to substantially reduce smoking-related illnesses and premature deaths, we must lift Thailand’s harsh ban and penalties on vape products,” said Saligupta.

    According to ECST, nearly 70 countries have adopted regulatory frameworks on safer nicotine products, leading to dramatic declines in their overall smoking rates.

  • Thailand: Activists Detect New ‘Teen Vaping Crisis’

    Thailand: Activists Detect New ‘Teen Vaping Crisis’

    Photo: samart boonprasongthan/EyeEm

    Tobacco control activists have expressed concern about the number of young people smoking e-cigarettes in Thailand, reports The Bangkok Post. While e-cigarettes are illegal in Thailand, they remain readily available across the country.

    According to a health survey conducted in 2019 and 2020, 5.3 percent of Thais aged 10 to 19 years have tried vaping and 2.9 percent do so regularly. Around 30 percent of people in this age bracket who smoke e-cigarettes are women, the study showed.

    Patcharapan Prajuablap, secretary-general of the Thailand Youth Institute, attributed the popularity of vaping in part to the fact that it is considered safer and more trendy than smoking cigarettes, especially among high school students.

    Over the past year, Thai lawmakers have mulled legalizing e-cigarettes to offer smokers a less harmful method of nicotine consumption and to tap a new source of tax revenue.

    Alarmed by the underage vaping numbers, Roengrudee Patanavanich, a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital, urged the government to keep e-cigarettes illegal.

  • Thai Health Minister Reiterates Opposition to Vaping

    Thai Health Minister Reiterates Opposition to Vaping

    Photo: samart boonprasongthan/EyeEm

    Thailand’s health ministry remains opposed to vaping, saying e-cigarettes are affecting the health of consumers of whom more than half are considered youth, reports Bangkok Post.

    Speaking at a national conference on cigarettes and public health in Bangkok on Aug. 29, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stressed the need to continue banning e-cigarette imports to protect youth from the health risks associated with vaping.

    More than half of the about 80,000 vapers in Thailand are aged 15–24, according to a survey conducted by the National Statistics Office last year.

    “This clearly showed vaping has created new smokers, especially young people, while a growing number of international studies found smoking e-cigarettes has negative effects on young people’s brains,” said Charnvirakul.

    Pointing to “the experiences of other countries,” Charnvirakul said banning e-cigarettes was the most effective measure to control vaping.

    Concerns about illicit trade would be addressed by continued “crackdowns on e-cigarettes smuggled into the country,” he added.

    Charnvirakul comments follow discussions about making vapor products legal in Thailand. Earlier this year, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry set up a working group to see if electronic cigarettes could be legalized as an alternative for smokers.

  • Thailand to Ban Sale of Cannabis Vaping Products

    Thailand to Ban Sale of Cannabis Vaping Products

    Credit: Kitty Fly

    Thailand’s National Tobacco Products Control Committee has moved to ban sales of vaping products products containing cannabis extracts, along with traditional cannabis cigarettes and cigars.

    The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Following the decision, a new guideline will be introduced in the form of ministerial regulations, while rules for e-cigarettes fall under the responsibility of the police and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, according to Thai News..

    Concerning the reported sales and consumption of cannabis by a primary school student in Lampang, the minister said the consumption of cannabis products among people under the age of 20 is strictly prohibited.

    Charnvirakul reiterated the health ministry’s stance against recreational cannabis use, saying the draft cannabis and hemp bill proposed in Thailand’s National Assembly does not contain any clauses that explicitly permit recreational use.

    Thailand decriminalized the growing, sale, possession, and use of cannabis last month with very few rules or regulations in place to manage the newly legalized drug. Politicians soon announced that they had thought the legalization would be used mainly for medical purposes, and never intended for it to be a legal recreational drug.