CSR banned

Thailand has raised the legal age to buy cigarettes to 20 and barred tobacco firms from participating in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, reports the Bangkok Post.

Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said the measures are designed to cut the number of teenage smokers while protecting nonsmokers’ health.

The new rules also close ‘loopholes’ in the 1992 Tobacco Products Control Act, according to Jedsada Chokdamrongsuk, director-general of the Department of Disease Control.

The sale of tobacco is now prohibited in religious venues, medical facilities, education institutes and public parks, among other places.

In addition, the law bans “indirect advertisements” carried out in the name of CSR activities.

People who light up in smoke-free areas will be fined thb5,000 and those who supervise non-smoking areas are required to keep people informed of the restrictions and make sure there are no violations or they face a thb3,000 fine.