Tag: Thailand

  • E-cigarettes, E-baraku Banned from Students in Thailand

    E-cigarettes, E-baraku Banned from Students in Thailand

    On January 7, the cabinet of Thailand approved a proposal from the Ministry of Education that prohibits students from possessing electronic cigarettes and electronic baraku. Those items join cigarettes and narcotics on the nation’s list of prohibited items under the Child Protection Act.

    E-cigarettes and baraku (also known as water pipes or hookahs) are already illegal in Thailand, but are still widely available. E-baraku is a fairly new item that allows users to imitate smoking a cigarette.

    Deputy government spokesman Karom Ponpornklang said there would be four levels of punishment for students, climbing from warning to probation to deduction of behavioral points to behavioral modification activities. Education minister Pol Gen Permpoon Chidchob said the ministry did not have the right to confiscate banned items, so other parties would have to be responsible for preventing their spread.

  • Thailand Launches Track-and-Trace System

    Thailand Launches Track-and-Trace System

    Photo: rangizzz

    Thailand is launching a track-and-trace system that allows smokers to verify the authenticity of their cigarettes by scanning a QR code, reports The Pattaya News.

    According to authorities, the innovation enhances tax collection efficiency, promotes transparency, and ensures compliance with international standards.

    Consumers can use smartphones to scan unique QR codes on cigarette excise stamps, accessing details such as the brand, manufacturer, tax payment date, shipment location and price.

    Discrepancies between the displayed information and the product can indicate contraband or counterfeit goods. Such illicit products may not meet quality standards and could pose serious health risks due to unregulated ingredients, says the Thai government.

    The system allows the public to report suspicious items directly to the Excise Department through a built-in whistleblowing feature.

  • Thailand: Push to Ban Smoking in Cars

    Thailand: Push to Ban Smoking in Cars

    Image: andranik123

    Thailand’s Tobacco Products Control Committee wants to ban smoking in private cars to protect passengers from secondhand smoke, reports The Nation.

    Speaking at a seminar on Nov. 5, Rerngruedee Pathanwanit of the Ramathibodi Medical School at Mahidol University said that approximately 70 percent of Thais are affected by secondhand smoke and an average of 20,688 Thais die of health complications caused by secondhand smoke each year.

    She also pointed out that Thailand stands fifth in the list of countries where women aged 15 to 49 are affected by secondhand smoke.

    Suwanna Ruangkanchasetr, deputy director of the Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center, told the seminar that recent research found that up to 55 percent of families with children in the one-five age group had smokers in the house.

    Researchers also found unsafe levels of nicotine in the hair of children in homes with smokers, she added.

  • Thailand Likely to Miss Smoking Reduction Goal

    Thailand Likely to Miss Smoking Reduction Goal

    Image: Ivor

    Thailand will likely miss its target of reducing smoking by 30 percent by 2025 on current trends, reports Thaiger.

    Smoking prevalence among people aged 15 and over declined from 23 percent in 2005 to 21 percent in 2024. Men continue to smoke at significantly higher rates (39.8 percent) than women (3.5 percent).

    Health advocates are most concerned about underage smoking, particularly among boys aged 10–14, where the smoking rate is 11.3 percent. Overall, 7 percent of Thai youth are identified as smokers. Although the smoking prevalence has dropped substantially from 32 percent in 1991 to around 20 percent in 2009, it has since stabilized at between 19 percent and 20 percent.

    Activists insist that meeting the 2025 goal will require continued focus on public health initiatives and smoking cessation programs.

  • Retailers Required to Display Tobacco Warning Posters

    Retailers Required to Display Tobacco Warning Posters

    Photos courtesy of Mathijs Aliet

    Tobacco vendors in Thailand must display posters highlighting the risks of smoking, following the enactment of a new rule on Aug. 21, reports the Pattaya Mail.

    The 7 cm by 21 cm posters must be visible at all sales points during operating hours, the Department of Disease Control (DCC) announced. Violators risk a fine of THB5,000 ($146).

    The posters, provided by the Public Health Ministry, seek to reduce the number of new smokers, particularly among minors. Vendors can obtain the materials from Excise Department offices nationwide or download them from the DCC website.

  • Thailand: Home Vaping is Domestic Violence

    Thailand: Home Vaping is Domestic Violence

    Image: Zerophoto

    Exposure to secondhand vapor from vaping at home could be considered a violation of Thailand’s child protection laws, according to child health and rights experts who are calling for more awareness of the dangers of vaping around children, reports The Pattaya Mail.

    Under national laws, vaping around children could be considered “domestic violence,” according to Thai authorities. They are calling for stricter enforcement.

    The Royal College of Pediatricians of Thailand wants stronger government measures to restrict the import and sale of e-cigarettes and increase educational campaigns about the risks of nicotine.

  • Thailand: Call for Targeted Vape Law

    Thailand: Call for Targeted Vape Law

    Photo: Looker Studio | Carsten Reisinger

    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.

  • Stricter Tobacco Rules in Thailand

    Stricter Tobacco Rules in Thailand

    Photos courtesy of Mathijs Aliet

    Tobacco manufacturers and importers in Thailand will be subject to stricter rules under a new draft regulation approved by the cabinet recently, reports The Pattaya Mail.

    Among other provisions, they will have to report the components of their products and the substances released during combustion.

    What’s more, tobacco manufacturers may not use flavor additives in their products or label them in a way that implies health benefits or suggests increased vitality.

    The regulation sets maximum limits for substances released during combustion. Tar must not exceed 10 mg per cigarette, nicotine must not exceed 1 mg per cigarette, and carbon monoxide must not exceed 10 mg per cigarette.

    The regulation also mandates the disclosure of information about the components and combustion byproducts of tobacco products.

    The certification fee is set at THB100,000 ($2,768) per certificate and THB2,000 for a replacement certificate. The regulation will take effect 180 days after its publication in the Royal Gazette and will be valid for four years.

  • Thailand: Dual Tax Rates Decrease Revenue

    Thailand: Dual Tax Rates Decrease Revenue

    Thailand’s dual cigarette tax rate has led to a decrease in government cigarette tax revenue, according to the Bangkok Post. The decrease is about THB23 billion ($646.8 million), according to Poomjit Pongpanngam, governor of the Tobacco Authority of Thailand.

    The new tax structure has caused sales to drop dramatically. According to Pongpanngam, the finance ministry is likely to restructure the cigarette tax rate to a single tax system; however, illicit cigarettes will still pose a problem because they will still be less expensive.

    Farmers contracted by the tobacco authority have seen a decrease in income due to the low sales of cigarettes. The authority has been buying 50 percent less tobacco from the farmers over the last three years. The tobacco authority recently stated that it plans to use THB1.3 billion for a production subsidy for tobacco farmers.

  • Thailand Mulls Single Tax Rate

    Thailand Mulls Single Tax Rate

    Image: Jo Panuwat D

    Thailand’s excise department is considering whether it should implement a single tax rate or a weight-based tax for cigarettes, announced Ekniti Nitithanprapas, excise department director-general, reports Thaiger.

    The current tax structure is a two-tier system with a 25 percent tax applied to cigarette packs that retail up to THB72 ($2). This structure is aimed at reducing the impact on low-income consumers. Cigarette packs that retail higher than THB72 are taxed at 42 percent. An additional flat rate tax of THB1.25 per cigarette is also applied regardless of retail price.

    The current system has led to manufacturers selling cigarette packs for THB72 to avoid higher tax rates.

    If a single rate is decided upon, it would fall between 25 percent and 42 percent.

    In October 2021, a 40 percent flat tax rate was set to be implemented but the tobacco authority and tobacco farmers opposed the move due to the potential impact of the tax rate on both parties.

    The finance ministry has been tasked to study the cigarette tax structure for the medium-term and the long-term to determine a fair and appropriate single-tier tax rate.