Thailand - Tobacco Reporter

Thailand: Home Vaping is Domestic Violence

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.

August 16, 2024

Thailand: Call for Targeted Vape Law

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.

August 5, 2024

Stricter Tobacco Rules in Thailand

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.

July 15, 2024

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.

February 6, 2024

Thailand Mulls Single Tax Rate

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.

January 19, 2024

Thailand Urged to Strengthen Enforcement

Thailand should strengthen its monitoring and enforcement of e-cigarettes, according to World Health Organization representative Jos Vandelaer, reports The Nation.

Speaking at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation on Dec. 18, Vanderlaer praised the kingdom’s decision to prohibit vaping in the country.

However, because vaping is still widespread in Thailand, he believes the government must do a better job of enforcing the law.

Vandelaer rejected the notion that e-cigarettes are an effective smoking cessation tool, as claimed by tobacco harm reduction activists. “Don’t get fooled,” he was quoted as saying. “There is as of now no evidence that the commercialization of e-cigarettes as consumer products has had a net benefit for public health.”

According to a recent study by the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, 8.8 percent of Thais aged 13 to 15 used e-cigarettes in 2021, up from 3.3 percent in 2015.

Vanderlaer’s comments come in the wake of a WHO statement urging action to prevent the uptake of e-cigarettes to counter nicotine addiction. On the same day, the global health body released a technical note with detailed information on the evidence and factors underpinning its guidance.

December 20, 2023

Thailand Asked to Embrace Alternatives

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

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

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

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

Tag: Thailand