Isaan people are among the top two groups of smokers in Thailand, and an increasing number of younger women are turning to e-cigarettes under the mistaken belief that they are safe, affordable, and fragrant.

 

To address this growing problem, Mr. Panthep Saokosol, Deputy Governor of Khon Kaen Province, and Prof. Dr. Prakit Vatheesatokkit, President of the Campaign for Non-Smoking Foundation, brought together tobacco control networks from all 20 northeastern provinces to unite against the use of e-cigarettes, particularly among children and adolescents. The event drew over 200 members of the network.

 

Preventing young people from using cigarettes and e-cigarettes is a national priority, according to Mr. Saokosol, and swift action is necessary to combat the alarming rise in e-cigarette use. Statistics from 2021 show that the smoking rate among Thai people aged 15 and over is 17.4%, with more than 9.9 million smokers nationwide, reported INN.

 

The Northeastern region ranks second in smoking rates after the southern region, and the use of e-cigarettes is increasingly prevalent among young people in the Northeast.

 

Prof. Dr. Vatheesatokkit revealed that up to 78,742 Thai people are currently smoking e-cigarettes illegally, with 40,724 smoking them daily. A growing number of women turn to e-cigarettes, believing they are safe, affordable, and fragrant, and some people are making it easy for children and young people to access e-cigarettes. The joint declaration of intentions among the Northeastern provinces is an essential force that reflects the government's seriousness in tackling this issue.

 

To address the problem, educational and prevention campaigns will be critical to preventing the creation of new smokers. Substance abuse awareness campaigns in the educational system will include e-cigarettes, raising awareness and reducing smoking and e-cigarette use. The serious solution is to enforce laws through deterrence and suppression while educating the public about the dangers of e-cigarettes, which are highly addictive, difficult to quit, and contain nicotine.

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2023-04-22

 

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8 minutes ago, webfact said:

believing they are safe

much safer than real cigarettes. no debate at all on that one. 

Issan, not exactly the entertainment capital of Thailand, and with not much to do there, no wonder they turn into drinking and smoking and other unhealthy habits.

36 minutes ago, stoner said:

much safer than real cigarettes. no debate at all on that one. 

Both cause lung damage.

With E cigarettes, you just die from illegal use.

E-cigarettes bad, marijuana is OK ???

20 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Both cause lung damage.

With E cigarettes, you just die from illegal use.

i would love to know how one dies from illegal use of a vape. is there an illegal sensor on the vape that explodes thus causing terminal damage to the user ? 

 

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

Issan, not exactly the entertainment capital of Thailand, and with not much to do there, no wonder they turn into drinking and smoking and other unhealthy habits.

It is the entertainment capital if you are interested in music, it's just the rest of it which is so depressingly boring.

1 hour ago, pattjock said:

E-cigarettes bad, marijuana is OK ???

Not if you vape the marijuana.

Perhaps the only strategy that has a chance of giving good results, to focus on one of the three governing principles in Thailand.

"Saving face".

So replacing the pictures of mouth and throat cancer victims with just a "caveat" on every pack of cigarettes, and vaping products.

 

"Stupid people exchange good money for a slow acting poison"....

 

Everything else does not work here....

5 hours ago, webfact said:

an increasing number of younger women are turning to e-cigarettes under the mistaken belief that they are safe, affordable, and fragrant.

And legal. Actually, I'm sure they know they are illegal, but of course that has no relevance in Thailand.

I’m two years in Isaan I’ve seen only two women smoking a recent visitor to the village who was a bar girl in Soi Cowboy 20 years ago and met a lovely Bah????????rain man and this was her first visit back in Twenty years, she has two sons that speak English and Arabicccccc????????. The next is my girlfriend who apparently also worked in Soi Cowboy with Colin’s wife back in the day, probably about the same time. I did see a woman purchasing cigarettes in a Sair-Wen but they could have been a gift. Other than that it impressionable bar girls I’ve only ever seen smoking.

 

if people want my opinion, and generally they usually do, I have never met anybody who smokes with half a brain cell. Colin smoked and managed to have 6 million Bart stolen off him twice. And when I have worked offshore where you genuinely see it’s installation electricians, painters, scaffolder’s et cetera who smoke and the further you go up the Ladder, you don’t see top managers or Shell’y plant operators in smoking shacks. And in my game which is fixing machines people who smoke always lack that little something that makes them not that talented and is probably the same reason that as impressionable kids when we had a go behind the bike sheds and after a few goes thought “ er I’m 13 and even I can see this is the most idiotic thing anyone can do and pay money for the privilege ????” 

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Isaan people are among the top two groups of smokers in Thailand, and an increasing number of younger women are turning to e-cigarettes under the mistaken belief that they are safe, affordable, and fragrant.

Yet real cigarettes are available, definitely not safe yet legal?

Strange country.

I was in Pattaya recently and it was noticeable that the number of girls vaping has increased.

Here in Isaan it is very, very rare to see someone vaping, either in town or in the villages.

On 4/22/2023 at 8:03 AM, ezzra said:

Issan, not exactly the entertainment capital of Thailand, and with not much to do there, no wonder they turn into drinking and smoking and other unhealthy habits.

There is no excuse for anyone under the age of 50 to be smoking, deliberately putting smoke into their lungs, it is just pure stupidity, the warnings have been there for years. It is not just a Thai problem.