Tag: Thailand

  • Thailand’s Education Ministry Bans Vapes at Schools and Offices

    Thailand’s Education Ministry Bans Vapes at Schools and Offices

    Thailand’s Ministry of Education officially banned the use of e-cigarettes in all schools and offices under its jurisdiction, citing the growing popularity of vaping among young people, a government spokesman said yesterday (May 7).

    Deputy government spokesman Karom Polpornklang said the ministry recognized that more young people have taken up vaping due to increased accessibility and online advertisements specifically targeting youth. To combat this, the Ministry introduced four key measures to coincide with the ban: awareness campaigns, no-vaping signage, monitoring and prevention, and disciplinary action.

  • Thailand’s Tiered Tobacco Tax System Under Fire

    Thailand’s Tiered Tobacco Tax System Under Fire

    Dr. Roengrudee Patanavanich, an academic at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, said Thailand’s Excise Department is considering a new tax structure for cigarettes to replace the current system, which has been in effect for almost four years. At present, a two-tier system is applied to excise duties levied on cigarettes, which comprises a 25% tax on cigarette packs with a retail price of up to 72 baht ($2.16) to ease the burden on low-income earners, and 42% for packs priced higher than 72 baht. Packs are also subject to an additional tax of 1.25 baht (3.8 cents) per cigarette, regardless of the retail price.

    Academics say the tiered system has neither curbed illegal cigarettes, increased state revenue, nor prevented new smokers, and are calling on the government to restructure it to a single excise tax rate as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    Roengrudee said under the previous non-tiered system, government tax revenue increased from 13.6 billion ($408 million) in 1990 to 68.6 billion ($2 billion) in 2017 even as smoking rates declined 12%. She said revenue rates have dropped steadily since the tiered system was introduced in 2017, including a 15-year low of 51.24 billion ($1.5 billion) last year 

    “Since the two-tiered tax system was introduced in 2017, the smoking rate has not fallen, while the Finance Ministry has failed to achieve its goal of collecting 60 billion baht ($1.8 billion) in cigarette tax annually,” Roengrudee said. “The problem of illicit cigarettes also remains unsolved. The WHO presented an analysis of the cigarette tax between 2018 and 2019 to the Excise Department. The WHO suggested Thailand should adopt a single tax rate of 40% and impose an additional tax of 1.25 baht per cigarette.”

    Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, executive secretary of the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation, spoke out against the Thailand’s Authority of Tobacco’s proposal to change to a three-tiered tax structure. He said that would be a retrograde step, as other countries are shifting to a single-tax rate in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. With the proposed three-tiered structure, the price of cigarettes produced by the TAOT would fall, not different from the prices of illicit cigarettes that avoid taxes, Dr Prakit said, adding this will also lead to cheaper cigarettes being imported from foreign producers to compete with the TAOT’s cigarettes.

    “To tackle cigarette tax avoidance, the government must tighten controls on illicit cigarettes instead of reducing taxes or using multiple-tiered tax systems. Cheaper prices will prompt more people to smoke,” Prakit said.

  • Thailand: Vape Users Can be Charged with Receiving Smuggled Goods 

    Thailand: Vape Users Can be Charged with Receiving Smuggled Goods 

    The Thai government will take tougher action against e-cigarette users, who can now be charged with receiving smuggled products, deputy government spokesman Anukul Prueksa-anurak said. The government will step up its suppression efforts of e-cigarettes and related products, prosecuting not only smugglers and distributors but now also the users. 

    Under the Customs Act, the offense carries a jail term of up to five years and/or a fine equivalent to four times as much as the prices of smuggled products plus any duty. E-cigarettes are illegal in Thailand, but that has not stopped them from being openly sold, even in areas near schools, leading to an alarming increase in vaping among young people. The recent hospitalization of teens with lung damage has drawn further attention to the problem.

    Anukul said the percentage of vape users among people aged 15-29 years rose from 5.8% in 2019 to 12.2% in 2024.

    Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra recently ordered a serious crackdown on e-cigarettes, particularly online sales channels. Anukul said that in the two months since the crackdown began, sales and the number of e-cigarette users had dropped by more than 80%.

  • Thailand Tobacco Raids Uncover Major Smuggling Network

    Thailand Tobacco Raids Uncover Major Smuggling Network

    Thailand’s Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) conducted four simultaneous raids in central Phuket, cracking down on an illegal cigarette smuggling network. Three people were arrested for violating the Customs Act, and cigarettes worth an estimated 4 million baht ($120,000) of lost tax revenue were seized. The network reportedly included several influential figures, including a politician who is a candidate for the local council, though the report did not disclose the politician’s name.

    Investigations revealed the cigarettes were smuggled into Phuket by sea, primarily using tour boats, and then distributed locally by a network. Some of the contraband was also distributed through a private logistics company and was also being sold online.

    Ronnarong Thipsiri, deputy director-general of DOPA said the raids were prompted by tips from residents about the illegal sale and transportation of untaxed cigarettes.

  • Thailand to Pay Informants 

    Thailand to Pay Informants 

    The Thai government has introduced a controversial but potentially effective policy targeting e-cigarette users and sellers. Under this scheme, anyone reporting illegal vaping activities via the Thang Rath mobile app is eligible to receive 60% of the fines collected.

    Informants could earn as much as B3,000 ($90) from a single successful report, a compelling incentive to help enforce this law.

  • Thailand Police Bust $58K Per Day Vape Ring

    Thailand Police Bust $58K Per Day Vape Ring

    Police in Thailand arrested three Chinese suspects, two men and a woman, in a sting operation in Pattaya and seized vape pens and zombie-vape liquid from the suspects, who allegedly admitted to sales worth 2 million baht ($58,000) a day. They were charged with the illegal sale of e-cigarettes and vaping liquid and with selling contraband goods.

    Police Major General Patanasak Bupphasawan said the suspects admitted daily sales of about 1,000 e-cigarettes to tourists and young people. The arresting team also seized about 100 grams of powdered etomidate anesthetic, e-cigarettes, and equipment for mixing the anesthetic and e-liquid to make zombie-vape fluid. The seized products were worth about 513,590 baht ($15,000).

  • CAPHRA Backs Evidence That Vaping Could Save Thousands of Thai Lives 

    CAPHRA Backs Evidence That Vaping Could Save Thousands of Thai Lives 

     The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today (March 19) endorsed compelling evidence presented by Asa Saligupta, Director of ENDs Cigarette Smoke Thailand, highlighting the life-saving potential of vaping as an alternative to deadly combustible cigarettes. 

    The Bangkok Post has revealed a stark public health contradiction: while smoking cigarettes is blamed for 71,000 Thai deaths annually, there has not been a single recorded death from e-cigarette use in Thailand. Yet conventional cigarettes remain widely available while vaping products remain prohibited. 

    “The evidence from Thailand mirrors what we’ve seen across the Asia-Pacific region—policies driven by misinformation rather than science are costing lives,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA Executive Coordinator. “When Public Health England concluded that vaping is approximately 95% safer than smoking cigarettes, they provided a scientific foundation that many countries have used to develop sensible harm reduction policies.” 

    CAPHRA acknowledges concerns regarding youth access but emphasizes that proper regulation—not prohibition—is the appropriate solution. “We support restrictions on marketing to young people, but banning products that could save millions of adult smokers from premature death is neither,” Loucas said. “Thailand stands at a crossroads. It can continue its failed prohibition approach, or it can join the growing number of countries following scientific evidence to implement sensible regulations that will save countless lives.”

  • $3.9M of Illegal Vapes Seized in Thailand 

    $3.9M of Illegal Vapes Seized in Thailand 

    The Metropolitan Police Bureau’s investigation team raided warehouses in Thailand’s Nonthaburi province yesterday (March 18) and seized more than 260,000 e-cigarettes with a street value of over 130 million baht. ($3.9 million). Investigators believe the vaping products had been smuggled in from China through the Laem Chabang port in Chonburi and distributed to more than 100 retail outlets nationwide.

    Dubbed “Operation Smoke Out,” police said they targeted six warehouses in the province that were linked to five individuals who were responsible for shipping and distributing the products. Two men were arrested, the police said, adding that the suspects were allegedly paid 20,000 baht ($600) each to look after one of the warehouses.

    “This is considered a major raid with high value,” Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said while visiting the scene. “The officers will expand the investigation to the masterminds and bring them to justice.”

  • Thailand Turns Up Fight Against Vapes

    Thailand Turns Up Fight Against Vapes

    Thailand’s Office Minister Jiraporn Sindhuprai chaired a meeting with 20 government agencies for the second consecutive week, discussing measures to curb the spread of e-cigarettes. Sindhuprai said they are focusing on three key strategies: strict law enforcement cracking down on illegal e-cigarettes, preventive efforts to curb their spread, and related legal reforms. She also said a proposal to set up a special committee overseeing these efforts has been submitted.

    Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Ministry blocked more than 9,000 web pages illegally selling e-cigarettes and is working with entrepreneurs to prevent search terms related to such products and shut down websites that attempt to sell them. They are also increasing enforcement on logistics companies that are required to display clear notices prohibiting the shipment of e-cigarettes and accessories, have enhanced security measures, scan suspicious packages, and retain sender data for at least 30 days.

    According to Royal Thai Police, there were 666 vape-related cases between Feb. 26 and March 4, with 690 suspects arrested and 454,958 items worth over 41 million baht ($1.2 million) seized.

  • Thai PM Orders Crackdown on E-Cigs

    Thai PM Orders Crackdown on E-Cigs

    Following a raid in Bangkok that seized 3,000 vapor items worth more than 2 million baht ($60,000) over the weekend, Thailand’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, ordered a comprehensive crackdown on e-cigarettes, warning that any officials found complicit will face serious consequences.

    The Thai government’s spokesperson, Jirayu Huangsap, said that the directive comes amid reports of widespread e-cigarette sales and corruption across the country.

     “The Prime Minister has ordered a crackdown on e-cigarettes and urged decisive action against any officials involved,” Jirayu said. “This operation covered just one jurisdiction under the Metropolitan Police Bureau, yet numerous illegal vendors were found operating openly.”

    Jirayu said shops selling the products were not concealed but operated openly on streets with eye-catching displays, making it unlikely that local police patrols would overlook them. He also said some of the shops were operating near schools, with reports suggesting certain officials had accepted bribes to turn a blind eye to these activities.

     “In areas where arrests are made by other agencies, local police must be investigated to determine whether negligence or involvement in bribery is a factor, similar to when illegal gambling dens are discovered in their jurisdictions,” Jirayu said. “I have already reported this to the Royal Thai Police. If commanding officers fail to take action, the problem will persist. The situation has escalated to the point where potent drugs are being mixed into e-cigarettes, resulting in youth fatalities, including cases of lung perforation.”