Tag: Thailand

Thailand Asked to Embrace Alternatives
Asa Saligupta
The director of ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST) has asked the Thai government to pass legislation that encourages smokers to switch to less-harmful methods of nicotine consumption, reports The Inquirer.
Asa Saligupta believes that Thailand’s current restrictions on smoking alternatives are pushing these products underground, resulting in an unregulated market that deprives the government of revenues and forces consumers to keep smoking.
Thailand banned on vapes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems in 2014, resulting in the arrest of local vapers and foreign tourists. Saligupta says the measure has discouraged smokers from switching to potentially less harmful innovative products.
According to Saligupta, Thailand should follow the lead of the Philippines, which passed a law that recognizes tobacco harm reduction as a legitimate tool in the campaign against smoking.
Republic Act 11900, or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, became law in 2022. The Vape Law regulates the importation, sale, packaging, distribution, use and communication of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products and novel tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
Thailand’s vaping regulations are among the strictest in Asia.
November 20, 2023
Tobacco Key Contributor in Thailand: Report

Photo: PiyawatNandeenoparit
The tobacco industry remains an important contributor to Thailand’s economy, reports The Bangkok Post, citing a report by Oxford Business Group.
In 2022, the tobacco industry contributed nearly THB60 billion ($1.71 billion) in excise taxes—12 percent of Thailand’s total tax take that year. The previous year, Thailand exported THB7.4 billion worth of tobacco and related products.

Annually, Thailand directs THB4.1 of its tobacco-related tax collections to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.
“In addition to being a significant contributor to Thailand’s economy, our research found that Thailand’s tobacco sector is an important employer and is crucial to rural communities and livelihoods, especially in the north and northeast of Thailand,” Marc-Andre de Blois, director of PR for Oxford Business Group was quotes as saying.
The industry supports nearly 50,000 households directly and indirectly, according to De Blois, who says that the crop is resilient to floods, droughts and poor soil conditions.
The Oxford Business Group report also highlights the challenges presented by the illicit cigarette trade in Thailand. According to the Thai Tobacco Trade Association, illicit trade through online channels grew 97 percent between July 2022 and September 2022.
Data from the Excise Department shows that illicit cigarettes accounted for 30 percent of the Thailand’s tobacco market in mid-2021.

November 17, 2023
Tobacco Used for Cancer Antibodies

Photo: Baiya Phytopharm
Baiya Phytopharm claims to have produced antibodies against cancer from tobacco and undertaken successful trials using lab animals.
Instead of targeting cancer cells the way chemotherapy does, plant-based immunotherapy focuses on boosting immune cells to block the growth of cancerous cells.
While immunotherapy has gained popularity in recent years, the antibodies for such treatment remain expensive. In Thailand, immunotherapy medicine production still relies heavily on imported technologies and equipment.
According to co-founder and Chief Technical Officer Waranyoo Phoolcharoen, Baiya Phytopharm aims to reduce the cost of producing cancer-treating drugs in Thailand and make such treatments more accessible and affordable.
“Our team is developing technology to produce a plant-based protein, an alternative and cost-effective ingredient for anti-bodies to treat cancer,” Waranyoo told the Bangkok Post.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Thai pharmaceutical company made headlines with its efforts to develop a tobacco-plant based vaccine against the coronavirus. (See “Joining the Race,” Tobacco Reporter, November 2020).
Tobacco plants lend themselves well to developing pharmaceutical compounds (also see “The Virtuous Weed,” Tobacco Reporter, April 2022). In many ways, they are better suited to the task than the man-made bioreactors used in traditional vaccine development, according to experts.
July 4, 2023
Activists Urge Thailand to Lift E-cigarette Ban

Photo: Teo
End Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST) is urging Thailand to legalize vaping, citing the U.K. progressive approach to e-cigarettes as an example, reports Thaiger.
In Thailand, the sale and use of e-cigarettes are illegal, creating an unregulated black market and increased access for minors, according to ECST.
“E-cigarettes are legal in England, allowing its government to impose measures and effectively enforce the regulations to protect minors,” said Asa Saligupta, a representative of the ECST and the Facebook page “What are e-cigarettes?” “The U.K. government is set to allow £45 million [$56.05 million] to reduce the country’s smoking rate and another £3 million for clamping down on shops selling vapes to youths under the age of 18.”
“The ban [in Thailand] is claimed to protect minors, but the sales and use of e-cigarettes are overt and commonplace. Children can easily access e-cigarettes through online channels without any regulations or inspections,” said Saligupta.
Following the U.K.’s example could be the solution to Thailand’s e-cigarette policy issues, according to Maris Karanyawat. “The subcommittee for studying factors affecting the health system and monitoring the enforcement of public health laws issued a report, which is based on a comprehensive study and opinions of all groups involved in the e-cigarette issue. The report suggests that Thailand should lift the ban on e-cigarettes so that they can be appropriately controlled through the 2017 Tobacco Products Control Act.”
In preparation for the upcoming tenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, scheduled to take place in Panama in November, Karanyawat said, “We hope that the Thai delegates will take into account the public health committee’s report, which recommends that a tobacco harm reduction approach be developed based on new scientific evidence which shows that e-cigarettes should be controlled differently from combustible cigarettes because they have different harmful effects.”
April 24, 2023
‘Thailand to Legalize Vaping After Elections’
Asa Saligupta
Activists are confident that Thailand will legalize vaping after the likely general elections in May. Vaping is currently prohibited in the kingdom, but discussions are ongoing to end the ban, according to ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST).
“This work has been several years in the making. It hasn’t stopped. In fact, draft vaping legislation awaits Thailand’s parliament to debate and ratify,” said ECST Director Asa Saligupta.
Saligupta notes that while anti-vaping campaigners appear to have the ear of the public health minister, most politicians and the public remain supportive of lifting the country’s vaping ban.
“I remain fully confident that safer nicotine products will be regulated in Thailand. Regulation will give consumers better protection, encourage more smokers to quit deadly cigarettes, and ensure we have much better control over youth vaping with a strict purchase age,” he said.
ECST says smoking kills about 50,000 Thai people every year.
“If we want to substantially reduce smoking-related illnesses and premature deaths, we must lift Thailand’s harsh ban and penalties on vape products,” said Saligupta.
According to ECST, nearly 70 countries have adopted regulatory frameworks on safer nicotine products, leading to dramatic declines in their overall smoking rates.
February 23, 2023
Thailand ‘Flooded’ by Untaxed Cigarettes

Photo: eyegelb
Thailand’s tobacco trade has seen an increase in internet sales of illegal cigarettes, flooding the market with illegal, untaxed cigarettes, according to The Nation Thailand.
Illegal tobacco products have gone viral online thanks to low operation costs and the ability to avoid police or customs inspections, according to Thanyasarun Sangthong, director of the Thai Tobacco Trade Association (TTTA).
“Meanwhile, illegal tobacco sellers can access as many different groups of customers [online] as they want,” she said.
A TTTA survey showed that online trade of illicit tobacco products increased 97 percent from July to September of last year. Twitter saw the bulk of illegal trades at 91 percent, followed by Facebook at 9 percent.
“There are three reasons why illegal tobacco is popular among netizens: the cheap price compared to legal products, the taste and convenient trade channels,” Sangthong said.
February 17, 2023
Thai Activists Detect ‘Teen Vaping Crisis’

Photo: samart boonprasongthan/EyeEm
Tobacco control activists have expressed concern about the number of young people smoking e-cigarettes in Thailand, reports The Bangkok Post. While e-cigarettes are illegal in Thailand, they remain readily available across the country.
According to a health survey conducted in 2019 and 2020, 5.3 percent of Thais aged 10 to 19 have tried vaping, and 2.9 percent do so regularly. Around 30 percent of people in this age bracket who smoke e-cigarettes are women, the study showed.
Patcharapan Prajuablap, secretary-general of the Thailand Youth Institute, attributed the popularity of vaping in part to the fact that it is considered safer and more trendy than smoking cigarettes, especially among high school students.
Over the past year, Thai lawmakers have mulled legalizing e-cigarettes to offer smokers a less harmful method of nicotine consumption and to tap a new source of tax revenue.
Alarmed by the underage vaping numbers, Roengrudee Patanavanich, a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital, urged the government to keep e-cigarettes illegal.
November 7, 2022
Thai Minister Reiterates Opposition to Vaping

Photo: samart boonprasongthan/EyeEm
Thailand’s health ministry remains opposed to vaping, saying e-cigarettes are affecting the health of consumers of whom more than half are considered youth, reports Bangkok Post.
Speaking at a national conference on cigarettes and public health in Bangkok on Aug. 29, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stressed the need to continue banning e-cigarette imports to protect youth from the health risks associated with vaping.
More than half of the about 80,000 vapers in Thailand are aged 15–24, according to a survey conducted by the National Statistics Office last year.
“This clearly showed vaping has created new smokers, especially young people, while a growing number of international studies found smoking e-cigarettes has negative effects on young people’s brains,” said Charnvirakul.
Pointing to “the experiences of other countries,” Charnvirakul said banning e-cigarettes was the most effective measure to control vaping.
Concerns about illicit trade would be addressed by continued “crackdowns on e-cigarettes smuggled into the country,” he added.
Charnvirakul comments follow discussions about making vapor products legal in Thailand. Earlier this year, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry set up a working group to see if electronic cigarettes could be legalized as an alternative for smokers.
August 31, 2022
Thai Court Lowers Philip Morris Fine

Photo: Jo Panuwat
An appeals court in Thailand has lowered a fine imposed on Philip Morris (Thailand) for customs violations to THB121 million ($3.53 million), reports The Bangkok Post.
In November 2019, the country’s criminal court found the tobacco giant guilty of evading taxes due on cigarette imports from the Philippines and ordered the company to pay a fine of THB1.2 billion.
While upholding the guilty verdict, the appeals court on June 1 lowered the fine and instructed authorities to pay rewards to those who provided tips leading to the arrests.
The prosecutor filed a lawsuit against Philip Morris (Thailand) and seven of its employees in 2016 for inaccurate price declarations on cigarettes imported from the Philippines from July 2003 to June 2006. The defendants denied the charges.
According to the lawsuit, Philip Morris (Thailand) set the price of L&M cigarettes imported from the Philippines at THB5.88, while other importers declared the same brand of cigarettes at THB6.81 per packet.
The tobacco firm allegedly also declared the cost, insurance and freight rate on Marlboro from the Philippines at THB7.76 per packet, far lower than the THB27.46 reported by other importers.
June 6, 2022
Thailand Health Minister Says No To Vaping

Photo: kikujungboy
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul insisted that Thailand’s Public Health Ministry will not support legalizing electronic cigarettes in the country, reports The Bangkok Post.
He made his remark on Monday during a meeting with board members of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) to discuss tobacco control.
Anutin, in his capacity as chairman of the ThaiHealth board, said he has noticed e-cigarettes trending among teenagers, and some of them are aiming to have sales legalized.
To help boost e-cigarette control, Anutin said he has assigned a tobacco control panel under the Department of Disease Control (DDC) to review current regulations to determine whether they should be revised or new rules should be issued.
However, current laws can still suppress the rise of e-cigarettes, he said.
“The DDC has also been instructed to coordinate with police to come up with a solution in preventing e-cigarettes from becoming more popular in the future,” he said.
Surachet Satitniramai, second deputy chairman of ThaiHealth, said that currently, many business operators are attempting to legalize the import of e-cigarettes to the country, which is a topic of concern among members of the committee.
“E-cigarettes will have a widespread effect on tobacco farmers in the country,” he said. “As the materials of e-cigarettes don’t consist of tobacco but chemical, farmers will suffer income loss.”
April 25, 2022