Bangkok Governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, announced a campaign to eradicate smoking and vaping from schools under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). This initiative focuses intensely on preventing cigarette and e-cigarette use among children and youth and builds on annual anti-smoking efforts.

 

The newly issued five strict orders in the campaign include:

 

1. **Ban Signage:** Schools must install or display messages and symbols prohibiting e-cigarettes at all entrances, exits, and within the school premises. Public relations efforts should amplify these messages.

 

2. **Bag and Premises Inspections:** Schools are instructed to inspect student bags and conduct regular inspections of school buildings and grounds to prevent the entry of e-cigarettes, liquids, or related equipment.

 

3. **Vendor Crackdown:** District offices and relevant officials are tasked with monitoring and preventing the sale of e-cigarettes around schools, communities, and public places. This includes coordinated efforts by the environment and sanitation department, municipal department, and education department.

 

4. **E-Cigarette Dropboxes:** Schools are directed to create drop boxes for confiscated e-cigarettes and related items. These must be documented and reported to the district office for further action.

 

5. **Health Guidance:** Public Health Service Centres are to provide knowledge and advice to schools. If students are found using cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or other addictive substances, they must undergo a behaviour modification process or be directed towards treatment.

 

Chadchart emphasised the severe health risks associated with e-cigarettes, citing their potential to cause nicotine addiction, acute pneumonia, coronary heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses. The aim is to safeguard students' health and well-being.

 

Parents, guardians, and teachers are urged to stay informed and educate children about the dangers of e-cigarettes. The unified effort hopes to protect Bangkok's youth from the harmful effects of smoking and vaping, ensuring safer educational environments.

 

Picture courtesy: Wikimedia

 

-- 2024-06-05

 

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But if e-cigarettes are forbidden, where do they come from and if the tabacco law has an age of 18 who bought them. And last but not least how long it take before no checkings anymore

Looks good on paper, but I highly doubt it will be enforced. My son got busted years ago when he was 11 for buying a cigarette from a store just outside the school. Sure he got a slap on the wrist from the school, and a stern warning from me, but the shop went on as usual. Should be treated like alcohol and taken away and destroyed. No excuses. The enforcement part isn’t going to happen, or if it does it won’t last long. Try taking something away from these spoiled kids and see what happens. Hopefully a few parents will get it, but not holding my breath. They don’t enforce the buying age for alcohol or cigarettes. What makes them think they will do this.  It’s as simple as swiping an ID like the rest of the world, but TIT

Maybe they should make them a Category 5 Narcotic, thus automatically stopping sales to under 20s.

Like the proposed ganja change.

Looks like none of those steps would involve the police getting off their backsides and doing something almost useful....

I thought vaping and all that was illegal everywhere in Thailand... so why then single out schools?