Smoking prevalence up in Thailand

Anti-tobacco campaigners in Thailand have urged the government to speed up the implementation of tougher tobacco regulations, according to a story in the Bangkok Post.

In April, the government added elements of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to its existing tobacco laws, but critics say implementation of the regulations is lacking.

Dr. Hathai Chitanon, president of the Thailand Health Promotion Institution, said the present tobacco control laws had proved to be ineffective. “The smoking rate has been climbing,” he added.

A study by the Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Centre found thatThailand’s smoking rate had increased from 20.7 per cent in 2009 to 21.4 per cent last year.