webfact Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Smoking claims 72,000 Thai lives every year By The Nation Though Thailand still has over 10 million smokers, who praises government’s efforts to curb addiction to cigarettes SMOKING kills on average more than 72,000 people a year in Thailand, shortening their lives by about 18 years. The alarming figures were highlighted at a press conference on World No Tobacco Day, which falls on May 31. “Diseases associated with smoking such as lung cancer, emphysema, lung inflammation and tuberculosis are the main killers,” Dr Roengrudee Patanavanich, from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, said. She added that Thailand had 10.7 million smokers in 2017, of whom 72,565 succumbed to smoking-related diseases. On average, they lost about 18 years in terms of longevity. The estimated cost of treatments, she pointed out, was about Bt77.62 billion a year. The cost of lost income opportunities as a result of illnesses was Bt11.76 billion a year. The financial cost of untimely deaths was estimated at Bt131 billion a year. “In total, smoking has caused financial losses of about Bt220 billion a year,” Roengrudee said, emphasising the loss was much higher than the cigarette taxes that the government could collect. She said cigarette tax revenue for the state was just about Bt68.6 billion. Disease Control Department director-general Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said cigarette smoke was dangerous not just for smokers but also for others. “Just one inhalation of second-hand smoke brings hundreds of toxins into lungs,” he said. Professor Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, secretary-general of the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand, credited the late General Prem Tinsulanonda for initiating tobacco control in the country. “In 1988, he assigned the Public Health Ministry to draw up a tobacco-control plan. Back then, there was no law to ban smoking but Prem banned smoking at Government House,” Prakit said. He highlighted Prem’s contributions to tobacco control a day after Prem, who served as the prime minister between 1980 and 1988, passed away at the age of 98. At the time of his passing, Prem was a statesman and president of the Privy Council. Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said it was worrying that a significant number of children started smoking at the age of just 10. He said the government had lately introduced stricter measures to curb smoking in the country. For example, vehicles, offices and all public places are now declared smoke-free. “At present, we have banned the sale of cigarettes to those younger than 20 years of age. “We have also barred the sale of loose cigarettes, as well as the use of catch-lines and attractive designs on cigarette packets,” he said. Piyasakol added that his ministry had implemented a project that required village health volunteers to encourage three locals in their area to quit smoking. Counselling for addicts “State hospitals under our ministry’s supervision have also provided counselling for those interested in giving up smoking. “People can also easily call Hotline 1600 for advice on how to quit smoking,” he said. Dr Daniel Kertesz, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Thailand, praised Thai authorities for their success in curbing smoking. This year, Thailand will organise |the World No Tobacco event under the “Cigarettes Burn Your Lungs” theme to highlight the damage |cigarettes cause to these crucial organs. The event, set for Friday at Central Festival EastVille, will also include an award-presentation to individuals and organisations who have made outstanding contributions to the country’s tobacco control. According to Piyasakol, smoking causes one death every four seconds on average at the global level. Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30370088 -- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-28 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chazar Posted May 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 28, 2019 Could be worse if you both smoked and drove a car! 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeycu Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Just now, Chazar said: Could be worse if you both smoked and drove a car! Most do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbezoz Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Just now, Chazar said: Could be worse if you both smoked and drove a car! Of the 72,000 guess many of them died in their pick-ups 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Danny Crane Posted May 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 28, 2019 And it's STILL illegal to Vape (e-cigarettes). When are the Thai govt. going to wake up? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post donnacha Posted May 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 28, 2019 If you thought smoking was bad, wait until you see the cumulative affect of the world's worst pollution on every pair of lungs in the North of Thailand. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potless Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 35 minutes ago, Danny Crane said: When are the Thai govt. going to wake up? When they have worked out how to tax it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGW Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 1 hour ago, webfact said: Though Thailand still has over 10 million smokers, who praises government’s efforts to curb addiction to cigarettes Great headline - who's "who"? the same people who say nothing about the atrocious air quality and pollution that is rampant throughout the whole county? ???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbrow Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 2 hours ago, Danny Crane said: And it's STILL illegal to Vape (e-cigarettes). When are the Thai govt. going to wake up? I agree.. vaping does indeed assist in quitting the tobacco habit, but is totally illegal here... sorry it's not illegal to vape but illegal to possess vaping "paraphernalia" as you must have illegally imported it. Vaping materials could certainly become a very profitable tax stream if someone thought about it and simultaneously reduce the number of tobacco smokers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upena Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 And, vaping is illegal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post soalbundy Posted May 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 28, 2019 phew ! as a smoker I'm glad I'm not Thai. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammieuk1 Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 The event, set for Friday at Central Festival EastVille, will also include an award-presentation to individuals and organisations who have made outstanding contributions to the country’s tobacco control. Ecig's would be an outstanding contribution in a normal place ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orton Rd Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 46 minutes ago, upena said: And, vaping is illegal I am not at all upset it is, nothing worse that being near somebody puffing out stinking clouds from one of those trendy devices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30la Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Please count the deaths because of microparticles 2.5 ... I think there will be many more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThomasThBKK Posted May 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 28, 2019 33 minutes ago, Orton Rd said: I am not at all upset it is, nothing worse that being near somebody puffing out stinking clouds from one of those trendy devices. Yeah sure watermelon and strawberry flavour stink but cigarettes, durian and car exhausts don't ???? Not yo mention second hand vapor steam has absolutey no negative health effects. Thailand, home of the ignorant. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinsdale Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 5 hours ago, webfact said: “Diseases associated with smoking such as lung cancer, emphysema, lung inflammation and tuberculosis are the main killers,” Dr Roengrudee Patanavanich, from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, said. Tuberculosis is a seperate disease. If you do not have TB then there is no association with smoking. Quite misleading. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antiparovian Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Easy. Ramp up the taxes on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommysboy Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Vaping is clean, inoffensive, and thought by mainstream science to be up to 95% safer than smoking, ergo, it's banned in Thailand. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metisdead Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Some off topic posts have been removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 7 hours ago, webfact said: Though Thailand still has over 10 million smokers, who praises government’s efforts to curb addiction to cigarettes If it's an addiction, then why aren't cigarettes banned. Rhetorical question - we all know the answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digger70 Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Smoking saves money,,,, Proven fact. If one dies 10 yrs before his/her time ,,,, how much money is saved you may ask. Just work out how much it would cost to live the extra 10 yrs that's what it saves. Just Logic or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
from the home of CC Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 2 hours ago, Antiparovian said: Easy. Ramp up the taxes on them. That's the normal response but the tobacco firms here have some real juice, why do think you can't vape? The government wanted a bigger jump last time but were pressured to back off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
from the home of CC Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 and weed hasn't killed anyone but still demonized go figure.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BestB Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 8 hours ago, Danny Crane said: And it's STILL illegal to Vape (e-cigarettes). When are the Thai govt. going to wake up? When vaping industry will bring in more tax than smoking . docs in OP nicely quoted the cost of health for smokers but left out tax income from all those smokers . may find income is double if not triple of health care costs. just like in the west, they always whine about smokers being a burden on healthcare. Well smoker pays around $25 tax per packet , plus shops pays tax plus wholesalers pay tax plus manufacture pays tax. let me tell you , each smoker has paid for their healthcare in the life time twice over???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malibukid Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 any numbers on pollution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilsonandson Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 I'm becoming very unsure as to what the rules are on smoking in Bangkok. Are you allowed to smoke whilst walking down the road ( I know not to throw butts down in street), are you allowed to smoke outside of your hotel? Does anyone know the current restrictions on smoking? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheops Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 13 hours ago, webfact said: “In total, smoking has caused financial losses of about Bt220 billion a year,” Roengrudee said, emphasising the loss was much higher than the cigarette taxes that the government could collect. 72000 deaths per year > no problem. The government losing money > BIG problem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac98 Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 The cost of treating those illnesses: so non-smokers incur no costs when they are dying? Cost from early deaths: The only way to afford Social Security. Lost work hours hurting businesses: If that's a big concern then businesses should back health care for all illnesses. Smoking cigarettes bad? Yes, but I question the total cost to the economy. Just give us the true numbers, not cooked books. Remember, we should have all been dead from AIDS by 1988 according to the scare tactics at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barefoot Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 The reported figure is probably underreported by at least 2:1. The U.S. has 34 Million smokers and 480,000 smoking-caused deaths.Smoking Deaths in the U.S. from CDC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebell Posted May 29, 2019 Share Posted May 29, 2019 20 hours ago, Chazar said: Could be worse if you both smoked and drove a car! And lived in Chiang Mai. So 24,000 road deaths pa = 66 a day (that they admit to.) 72,000 cigarette deaths pa = 197 a day. (Does this include field burning deaths?) Thailand is a very dangerous place to live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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