Thais favor harm reduction

Thai people would like to see the Government and the private sector working together on making available smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes, according to a story in The Nation citing the results of a new study.
The study, which was commissioned by Philip Morris (Thailand) Limited (PMTL) and conducted by Ipsos, found that 64 percent of the 1,200 smokers and non-smokers who participated nationwide said they would like their friends and families to have the opportunity to use potentially less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.
Although awareness within Thai society of less harmful products is limited to 15-20 percent of the population, the study found that 48 percent of people said innovative tobacco products should play a role in achieving a smoke-free Thailand.
Pongsathorn Ansusinha, the director of corporate affairs at PMTL, was quoted as saying there was no question that tobacco products were harmful to a smoker’s health, and that the best approach was to stop or never start smoking.
‘Nevertheless, many people will continue to smoke, and we believe that they have a right to accurate information about, and access to, smoke-free products that are a better choice than cigarette smoking,’ he said in a statement.
According to the survey, he added, 58 percent of the respondents or 69 percent of Thai smokers agreed that the government and the private sector should work together on smoke-free alternatives; so PMTL was fully committed to designing a smoke-free future in Thailand in an open and transparent way.