Thai Public Health Minister Says It is ‘Impossible’ to Legalize E-Cigarettes

[snoop1130]

PHOTO: Matichon

 

Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reiterated his stance on banning all forms of e-cigarettes, including selling and importing the products into the country.

 

Anutin told a meeting of the National Confederation of Networks for Thai Smoke-Free Society yesterday, February 23rd, that it is alarming that more people, especially youngsters, turned to smoking electronic cigarettes nowadays due to a misconception that the device cannot cause cancer or is harmless for health.

 

This is totally not true, Anutin said, citing the World Health Organization’s study which according to them confirms that e-cigarettes are indeed harmful.

 

Full Story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/02/24/thai-public-health-minister-says-it-is-impossible-to-legalize-e-cigarettes-promises-further-crackdown/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-02-24

 

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[timendres]

Since cigarettes are legal, and there is little evidence that e-cigarettes are more harmful, I don't understand where "impossible" comes from. Oh. Right. Envelope already accepted - now it is impossible.

[2baht]

They don't want vape smokers when they have vested interests in weed!

[ukrules]

He lies, if this was his concern then cigarettes would and perhaps should be banned completely.

 

[connda]

Of course it is.  A monopoly has said minister by the cajones.

[edwardandtubs]

18 minutes ago, timendres said:

Since cigarettes are legal, and there is little evidence that e-cigarettes are more harmful, I don't understand where "impossible" comes from. Oh. Right. Envelope already accepted - now it is impossible.

In the UK you see kids walking around "vaping" these Chinese-made. colourful devices designed to look like packets of sweets or make-up. The surprising thing is not that Thailand doesn't allow them but that other countries are allowing a new generation of kids to become hooked on them for the profit of Chinese companies.

[smedly]

1 hour ago, 2baht said:

They don't want vape smokers when they have vested interests in weed!

nailed it

[redwood1]

No way in 1 million years can it be rationalize that tobacco and weed are just fine but vapping is bad bad bad..............It just cant be done...

 

 

[mikeymike100]

So you cannot smoke E cigarettes, because there is a small chance they may be harmful, but you can smoke real cigarette that are proven to cause lung cancer amongst other things and do kill people?

What planet is this guy on?

[Pib]

3 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

In the UK you see kids walking around "vaping" these Chinese-made. colourful devices designed to look like packets of sweets or make-up. The surprising thing is not that Thailand doesn't allow them but that other countries are allowing a new generation of kids to become hooked on them for the profit of Chinese companies.

Well, I expect it's more like UK companies placing orders (for profit) with Chinese factories who profit from the orders.   Although the UK has age restrictions like needing to be 18 to purchase E-cigs I expect the general availability of E-cigs makes it very easy for under 18ers to get E-cigs.

Edited February 24, 2023 by Pib

[ikke1959]

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Anutin told a meeting of the National Confederation of Networks for Thai Smoke-Free Society

Of course he will say what tney want to hear... How come it is impossible to legalize it???Make a law or abolish the current one that forbids it and problem solved

[Tengu]

How about the anti-litter people and the fire departments rally against cigarettes and in support of vaping to make a safer cleaner Thailand?

[TheFishman1]

He has a lot of money from weed, and he probably has a lot of money from the back of interest here in Thailand, TAT

[AustinRacing]

What he’s really saying is it’s impossible to collect LARGE envelopes from small scale importers. If there was big companies like tobacco people importing them, it may be possible. 

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Anutin told a meeting of the National Confederation of Networks for Thai Smoke-Free Society yesterday, February 23rd, that it is alarming that more people, especially youngsters, turned to smoking electronic cigarettes nowadays due to a misconception that the device cannot cause cancer or is harmless for health.

Yet normal cigarettes and marijuana are fine?

Seems to me he's a health minister with a mis-guided sense of health.

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, 2baht said:

They don't want vape smokers when they have vested interests in weed!

Nail on the head.

[BestB]

Someone needs to translate for him what WHO said or what people are saying.

 

No one said it’s not harmful but 95% less harmful than smoking 

[2baht]

13 hours ago, 2baht said:

They don't want vape smokers when they have vested interests in weed!

For the poor confused who just don't get it..."They" are the Health Ministry!

[bamnutsak]

And yet, with the stroke of a pen he normalized cannabis.

 

He could legalize vaping, but he's choosing no to.

 

He and his party ran on normalizing cannabis.

 

He was wealthy before this, and I'm not sure the rumors of his cannabis profiteering are accurate.

 

 

[Tarteso]

‘Impossible’ 
 

 

Imposition, Authority, Denial, Control, Power.. ????

[sammieuk1]

I would say its impossible for him to carry on masquerading as a health minister ????

[Speedhump]

Impossible... as long as there is a Thai tobacco industry to protect.... 

[Smokey and the Bandit]

Real cigarettes kill around 8 million people a year worldwide!

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco

 

The best evidence available in humans shows e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking. For example, one study found significantly lower levels of exposure to harmful chemicals in people who switch from smoking to vaping compared with those who continued to smoke. These levels were similar to people using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). There’s also no good evidence that second-hand e-cigarette vapour is harmful to bystanders.

 

 

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/smoking-and-cancer/is-vaping-harmful

"Vaping is far less harmful than smoking. So, your health could benefit from switching. But you need to stop using tobacco completely to get the benefits."

 

So the sale of REAL cigarettes is OK, but the sale of E Cigarettes is NOT?

 

So what he , Anutin, is saying doesn't make any sense, unless of course there is some incentive to him saying that?

Could that be money?

 

 

[Speedhump]

13 hours ago, connda said:

Of course it is.  A monopoly has said minister by the cajones.

Surely not ... the... 

 

Tobacco Authority of Thailand

 

????

[phetphet]

50 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

And yet, with the stroke of a pen he normalized cannabis.

 

He could legalize vaping, but he's choosing no to.

 

He and his party ran on normalizing cannabis.

 

He was wealthy before this, and I'm not sure the rumors of his cannabis profiteering are accurate.

 

 

Easy. Just make a cannabis vape cartridge.

[Snig27]

They are already legal it seems. Meanwhile millions get poisoned daily by the toxic air and his government does nothing because a large part of the reason is the large corporations that own that government.

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/no-vaping-and-vapes-are-not-illegal-in-thailand-heres-why/

 

[moe666]

If you have ever been to the end of Soi4 in Bangkok you will see the reason e-cigs are illigal it is called the Tobacco Exchange.

[bamnutsak]

4 minutes ago, moe666 said:

If you have ever been to the end of Soi4 in Bangkok you will see the reason e-cigs are illigal it is called the Tobacco Exchange.

The Tobacco Authority of Thailand (TOAT) relocated years ago to an industrial estate in Ayutthaya.

 

Said premises is now the Benjakatti Forest Park, sitting on who knows how much unremidiated soil.

 

 

In theory the TOAT could assume complete control of alternative cigarettes overnight, utilizing all current tobacco laws, regulations, sales, marketing and distribution.

 

But this may be a bridge too far for "traditionalists" right now?

 

 

 

 

 

[2baht]

1 hour ago, bamnutsak said:

He was wealthy before this, and I'm not sure the rumors of his cannabis profiteering are accurate.

 

He's not the only man in the boat! Underlings are greedy too!

[Bangkok Barry]

What has proved possible in nearly all other countries in the world is impossible in Thailand. Right. Okay.