Tag: Thailand

Thailand: Decriminalized Cannabis to Begin Thursday
Credit: Art Proximo
Thailand’s Courts of Justice announced that suspects and prisoners on charges related to cannabis use and possession would be freed after cannabis and hemp are removed from the Public Health Ministry’s Category 5 drug list beginning June 9.
The cultivation and smoking of recreational marijuana, even for personal use, will still not be legalized, according to The Haiger.
On Saturday, spokesperson of the Courts of Justice, Sorrawit Limparangsi, confirmed that all suspects and prisoners charged with production, import, export, distribution, use and possession of cannabis even before June 9 would be released.
The Ministry of Public Health is working to decriminalise the use and possession of cannabis in Thailand in a bid to develop medical tourism and the economy in Thailand. Starting Thursday, people are allowed to grow cannabis at home for medical use without asking for government permission. The only requirement, those said people have to download an app called Plook Ganja and register.
Every part of cannabis and hemp, including leaves, stems, fibers, branches, seeds, inflorescences, and roots, can be legally used at home for medical purposes if the amount of THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, or CBD, cannabidiol, is less than 0.2%. That means you are not legally allowed to get high in Thailand, for now anyway.
Smoking cannabis is considered a public nuisance. People can file a complaint against cannabis smokers and those users face a 3-month jail sentence and a fine of up to 25,000 baht if they are found guilty of a public nuisance charge.
The Public Health Ministry says this would help prevent the recreational use and other abuses of cannabis that are currently in conflict with existing Thai laws.
June 7, 2022
Digital Minister for Thailand Pushing for Legal Vapor Sales
Credit: Sharaf Maksumov
A growing number of government officials in Thailand are calling for vaping products to remain illegal. However, one politician is promoting legalization of less harmful nicotine products to help smokers quit combustibles.
The country’s Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, on Friday urged Thailand’s National Tobacco Products Control Committee to revise its ban on the import and sale of e-cigarettes in the country, according to the Bangkok Post..
Chaiwut said he has petitioned the committee to revise its decision to ban e-cigarettes on March 28 because a committee set up by the ministry found that people opted for e-cigarettes because they believed them to be less harmful to their health. Despite the ban, they are illegally imported and sold online.
If the government allows the lawful import and sale of e-cigarettes, it will be able to set standards for selling and gain benefits through a tobacco tax, he said. Chaiwut claimed that the National Tobacco Products Control Committee was unlikely to have conducted the most thorough of surveys or have interviewed a broad number of proponents of electronic cigarettes.
“E-cigarettes have been accepted in many countries as being less of a health hazard than ordinary cigarettes,” he said.
Many tobacco harm reduction advocates say Thailand will eventually legalize vaping.
May 2, 2022
Thai Health Minister Can’t Stop Legalization of E-Cigs
Asa Saligupta
Tobacco harm reduction advocates remain optimistic that Thailand will legalize e-cigarettes, despite vocal opposition from the country’s health minister.
On April 26, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he opposes legalization of vapor products in the country, citing concern about underage consumption and the plight of tobacco farmers.
Asa Saligupta, director of ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST), suggested Charnvirakul was playing politics. “After his abysmal handling of the pandemic, among other things, he could easily lose his seat at Thailand’s upcoming general election. He’s simply panicking but has completely underestimated the wide support for legalizing and regulating vaping,” said Saligupta.
With draft legislation to legalize e-cigarettes currently before a sub-committee, the ECST director remains confident that the vaping bill will be passed by Thailand’s parliament this year.
“The Thai government can and will regulate safer nicotine products regardless of what one minister says,” said Saligupta. “Let’s not forget that Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, government officials and public health experts have all been key to finally confronting Thailand’s failed tobacco control policies,” he says.
According to Saligupta, Thailand’s harsh ban and penalties on vape imports and sales have failed.
“Smoking continues to kill about 50,000 Thai people each and every year. Too many smokers have been stuck with cigarettes or are forced onto the black market for vapes where there’s no control over the purchase age or product safety standards. An effective public health minister would not accept this dire situation, let alone support it,” he says.
ECST believes it’s no surprise the minister made his anti-vaping statement to ThaiHealth board members. Its senior adviser, Prakit Vathesatogkit, recently received the Dr Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize by the World Health Organization for his work against tobacco. He has also been a high-profile voice against legalizing vaping.
“ThaiHealth along with some local conservative health voices continue to publicly scaremonger, conveniently ignoring the growing tobacco harm reduction success globally,” said Saligupta. “By joining the minority, Thailand’s Public Health Minister is now among an increasingly isolated crowd who continue to follow the WHO’s discredited anti-vape agenda,” he says.
According to Saligupta, nearly 70 countries have now adopted regulatory frameworks on safer nicotine products despite the WHO position, leading to dramatic declines in their overall smoking rates. The Philippines and Malaysia are also set to legalize vaping.
“Thankfully the Thai government remains on the right side of the debate,” he said. “Regulating will give consumers better protection, encourage more smokes to quit deadly cigarettes, and ensure we have much better control over youth vaping with a strict purchase age,” he says.
April 27, 2022
Thailand Public Health Minister Says ‘No’ to Legalized Vaping
Credit: Natanaelginting.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul insisted that Thailand’s Public Health Ministry will not support legalizing electronic cigarettes in the country.
He made his remark on Monday during a meeting with board members of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) to discuss tobacco control.
Anutin, in his capacity as chairman of the ThaiHealth board, said he has noticed e-cigarettes trending among teenagers and some of them are aiming to have sales legalized.
To help boost e-cigarette control, Anutin said he has assigned a tobacco control panel under the Department of Disease Control (DDC) to review current regulations to determine whether they should be revised or new rules should be issued.
However, current laws can still suppress the rise of e-cigarettes, he said.
“The DDC has also been instructed to coordinate with police to come up with a solution in preventing e-cigarettes from becoming more popular in the future,” he said.
Dr Surachet Satitniramai, second deputy chairman of ThaiHealth, said that currently, many business operators are attempting to legalize the import of e-cigarettes to the country, which is a topic of concern among members of the committee.
“E-cigarettes will have a widespread effect on tobacco farmers in the country,” he said. “As the materials of e-cigarettes don’t consist of tobacco but chemical, farmers will suffer income loss.”
April 25, 2022
Activists Welcome Thailand’s Plan to Legalize Vaping
Asa Saligupta
Tobacco harm reduction advocates have welcomed Thailand’s plans to legalize and regulate vapor products.
“Countries which have chosen to legalize and regulate e-cigarettes have seen a fall in overall smoking rates and have much better control over youth vaping. It’s exciting for Thailand, and in fact the world, that the government is now set to overturn its ban on the sale of vape products,” says Asa Saligupta, director of ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST).
According to Saligupta, Thailand’s harsh ban and penalties on vape sales has meant too many smokers have been stuck with cigarettes, while young people buy e-cigarettes in the underground economy with no control over the purchase age or product safety standards.
“We’ve seen the legalization and regulation of vaping in places like the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand work very well. I’m delighted the Thai government is now listening to the science with the adoption of effective tobacco harm reduction (THR) policies now increasingly imminent,” he says.
The ECST director says Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, government officials, public health experts and advocates have all been key to finally addressing Thailand’s failed tobacco control policies.
He says that, despite the minister adopting an evidence-based approach, local conservative health groups continue to unfairly target him and publicly scaremonger.
“It was a big breakthrough last year when the minister told local media that vaping is safer for people trying to quit smoking. Since then, he has walked the talk—looking at ways vaping can be legalized. He fully understands it offers smokers a less harmful alternative to deadly cigarettes and protects non-smokers from the dangers of second-hand smoke.
“Consumer groups like ours have worked hard to encourage our politicians and officials to follow the significant international public health evidence. It has been a long journey, but we’re pleased with the progress the government’s working group continues to make on legalizing e-cigarette sales,” says Saligupta.
Nancy Loucas
International research also shows countries which have adopted progressive policies around vaping have seen their smoking rates fall twice as fast as those countries that haven’t.
Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates (CAPHRA), says that by lifting its long ban on vape sales, Thailand will join about 70 countries that have legalized vaping.
“Around the world, vaping is saving millions of ex-smokers’ lives and can save many more if safer nicotine products are embraced, not demonized,” says Loucas. “Thailand’s 10 million smokers have long deserved a readily and legally available alternative to cigarettes. The country’s sky-high smoking rate is totally unacceptable but thanks to the work of ECST and others, it’s about to be seriously addressed.”
According to Loucas, Thailand has become increasingly isolated internationally with its harsh policies. Vapers currently risk arrests, sanctions and even imprisonment.
“By legalizing that sale of vapes, Thailand will join countries like the Philippines and Malaysia which are also waking up to the fact that vaping bans inevitably fail, leading to unnecessary smoking-related illnesses and deaths,” says Loucas.
February 14, 2022
Thailand Continues to Explore Legalizing E-Cigarettes

Credit: Tuayai
The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry set up a working group to see if electronic cigarettes can be legalized as an alternative for smokers, reports The Nation.
Asa Salikupt, from the End Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST) network, said the network supports DES Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn’s plan to legalize e-cigarettes and hopes the working group will be transparent, listen to public opinions and allow e-cigarette users to provide information.
“We believe the legalization of e-cigarettes will help Thailand achieve the goal of reducing cigarette smokers and protecting nonsmokers from the danger of secondhand smoke,” Salikupt said.
The Excise Department can introduce an e-cigarette tax once e-cigarettes are legalized.
Maris Karanyawat, also from ECST, said Britain, New Zealand and the Philippines are likely to promote the use of e-cigarettes to help reduce the consumption of harmful substances and help those who cannot quit smoking cold turkey.
“More than 70 countries have legalized e-cigarettes as it can reduce the number of smokers,” Karanyawat added.
By banning e-cigarettes, the government is losing tax revenue, people are losing access to safer alternatives and the Tobacco Authority of Thailand is losing a chance to make money, according to Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, Move Forward’s Bangkok MP.
January 24, 2022
Thai Minister Reaffirms Goal to Legalize Vaping
Thailand’s digital economy and society minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn on Jan. 14 stated he would continue efforts to legalize e-cigarettes, according to the Bangkok Post.
Thanakamanusorn believes vapor products are safer than combustible cigarettes. He said legalization of e-cigarettes would enable the country to tax sales and would provide people who found themselves unable to quit smoking with a safer option.
The minister intends to create a working group to study legalization and invite people to sign in support of a request next month that the Constitutional Court rule if the ban on imports of e-cigarettes violates people’s rights, especially the right to have access to less dangerous products.
The minister insisted he had no vested interest in legalizing vaping. Tobacco harm reduction advocates have been pushing for legalization in Thailand.
January 14, 2022
Group Wants Thailand’s Leaders to Embrace Vapor
End Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST) wants Thailand to legalize vapor products to enable smokers to legally switch to less harmful nicotine products, according to an article in The Bangkok Post.
This vaper in Koh Samui, Thailand could face fines or even jail. (Timothy S. Donahue)
Despite a seven-year old ban on e-cigarettes, the number of vapers has steadily increased in Thailand, according to the ECST. While the National Statistical Office estimates there are 78,742 vapers in the country, ECST representative Maris Kranyawath believes there are almost a million, based on the number of people following social media pages that sell vape products.
Maris said legalizing vapor products would allow state agencies to set product standards. “Thailand has had a ban on vaping for seven years, but the number of vapers has continued to increase despite it,” said Maris. “This means the policy has not been effective. If vape products were legal, they could be examined and standardized by state agencies.”
To protect young people, the ECST has proposed regulations to ban minors from buying and using vape products. “A salesperson must provide vape products that are appropriate for each user,” said Maris. “Moreover, each vaper should register for a vape card at a district office first. When a vaper purchases products, he/she must show the card. Also, vape stores must have a machine to scan cards to identify the customer who has a daily limit of no more than 200ml of e-liquid per day.”
The push for permitting vapor products has been gaining momentum in Thailand. Recently, Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said he would explore ways to legalize the sale of e-cigarettes, citing their comparatively low health risk and the impact of black market sales on tax revenues.
January 5, 2022
Fierce Opposition to Legalizing E-Cigarettes in Thailand

Photo: 1STunningART
A proposal to legalize e-cigarettes in Thailand has run into fierce opposition, reports the Bangkok Post
Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said on Tuesday he is exploring ways to permit the sale of e-cigarettes, citing their potential to help people quit smoking and economic opportunities.
At least 67 countries have approved e-cigarettes as a less harmful alternative to smoking, while Thailand still refuses to accept them, Chaiwut noted. More importantly, if it is possible to turn tobacco grown in Thailand into e-cigarette products and export them, both the Tobacco Authority of Thailand and tobacco growers will benefit, he said.
The National Alliance for a Tobacco-Free Thailand (NATFT) responded by calling on the government to increase efforts to protect the public from all forms of tobacco products. “Various elements of society, both government and non-government, have been working hard to reduce the number of smokers, so legalizing e-cigarettes will only exacerbate the situation,” said NATFT chairwoman Somsri Pausawasdi.
E-cigarettes are not safer choices for people who want to quit smoking while knowledge about their long-term effects on health remains limited for now, echoed Ronnachai Kongsakon, director of Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center.
The Medical Association of Thailand too has come out strongly against Chaiwut’s proposal.
The organization sent an open letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha asking him to caution the minister. The letter was signed by Amorn Leelarasamee, president of the Medical Association of Thailand, and supported by heads of other organizations, including 14 royal colleges and the National Alliance for Tobacco-Free Thailand.
The president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand, Pramuk Mutirangkura, also voiced his opposition.
Responding to the minister’s assertion that at least 67 countries had approved e-cigarettes as being less harmful than smoking tobacco, Pramuk said that each of those countries had allowed the sale with conditions attached. They were not sold without restrictions, he noted.
Many other countries still banned e-cigarettes because they wanted to protect the people’s health, preferring the “prevention is better than cure” principle, he added.
There are at least 10 million smokers in Thailand.

October 7, 2021
Thailand to Start Producing Commercial Hemp

Photo: Rolf Hansen from Pixabay
The Tobacco Authority of Thailand (TOAT) plans to start planting hemp for commercial purposes by August, reports The Bangkok Post.
The Council of State is currently reinterpreting the Tobacco Authority of Thailand Act that states TOAT can only produce tobacco leaves and other plants. The council decides if TOAT is legally eligible to produce hemp for commercial purposes, said TOAT governor Panuphol Rattanakanjanapatra.
The decision is expected next week.
TOAT will focus on production of hemp in the preliminary stage, which can be used for medical and industrial purposes. TOAT aims to encourage 13,500 tobacco farmers to shift to hemp or cannabis farming to increase their income; the authority cut its tobacco leaf purchases to 13 million kg per year from 20 million kg per year.
March 30, 2021