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.