Thailand Cracks Down on E-Cigarettes to Protect Schoolchildren

[webfact]

Picture courtesy: You Quit Two Quit

 

The seminar underscored the urgent need for a unified approach to combat the e-cigarette crisis, fostering cooperation across various sectors to implement effective solutions. The participating bodies recognised that without cohesive action, the health and well-being of Thailand's young population could face serious jeopardy.

 

Echoing this sentiment, Dr. Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoen, the Director-General of the Department of Health, highlighted the peril e-cigarettes pose. He pointed out that the public, particularly the younger demographic, often misunderstands e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco products.

 

This misconception, fuelled by savvy marketing strategies and attractive product designs, demands immediate educational initiatives aimed at correcting these false beliefs.

 

The bolstering of educational campaigns is poised as a cornerstone strategy in this fight. Schools, Dr. Suwanchai proposed, should be at the forefront of this campaign, embedding awareness programmes within the curriculum to enlighten students about the true risks associated with vaping.

 

Beyond education, robust enforcement measures are equally vital. Opas Almaseri's call for more stringent customs operations is aligned with ongoing efforts to seal the border against the inflow of illicit vaping products. This includes not only strengthening checks and seizures but also enhancing penalties for those caught violating the e-cigarette ban.

Furthermore, the committee urges a collaboration with international bodies to track and dismantle smuggling networks that supply e-cigarettes to the Thai market. These measures, they believe, will significantly diminish the national distribution channels of these contraband goods.

 

Stirring national consciousness, the ad hoc committee's resolute stand marks a critical milestone in Thailand's public health policy discourse. By tackling the e-cigarette surge head-on, there is a hope to yield long-term benefits for the youth, safeguarding them from the clutches of nicotine dependency and its associated health risks.

 

In conclusion, while the journey to eradicate e-cigarettes from schools will not be without hurdles, the newly sparked crackdown represents a crucial step towards protecting the younger generations.

 

As the House committee’s call reverberates across the nation, it is a clarion call for communities to unite in crafting a safer, healthier future for the children of Thailand, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-02-11

 

 

[ikke1959]

Implement what you want, but as long as police officers, Government officials, teachers, military and many more are vaping how can you ever enforce this rule.. Much easier is to control it and make it more expensive and just like alcohol a minimum age 

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

This misconception, fuelled by savvy marketing strategies and attractive product designs,

 

I suspect that social media does more to exacerbate the issue than the 'savvy marketing strategies'.

[SmartyMarty]

My local cafe near 89 Plaza in Chiang Mai up to 8 police there every morning, many of them vaping. Such shining examples of law enforcement.

[Gottfrid]

No they are not trying to protect anything more than their own state funded tobacco and cigarette production.

[KireB]

I see quite some kids in my moo ban, some not older than 10, vaping. So yes, there is a problem. 

[daveAustin]

Hmm, tobacco industry protecting itself? How’s about protecting kids from cigs? Oh yes, they are taxable. 

[watchcat]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

enhancing penalties for those caught violating the e-cigarette ban.

 

That should include the parents to these children also.

[faraday]

7 hours ago, KireB said:

I see quite some kids in my moo ban, some not older than 10, vaping. So yes, there is a problem. 

 

Yes, absolutely.  The Vapes are marketed similarly to soft drinks, bright colours & tastes. 

 

However, for the ex tobacco smoker, they are surely better...?

[Gsxrnz]

Gone are the days of furtively nicking a Player's Plain from your Mum's pack of ciggies, or waiting outside the corner shop (not your local shop, but one you cycled three miles to) to anonymously purchase the February 1977 Penthouse or Playboy magazine.

 

Vice of all types are too easily obtained these days - my generation had to work for it! 

[BangkokReady]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

He pointed out that the public, particularly the younger demographic, often misunderstands e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco products.

 

Are they not?

[pomchop]

I remember well growing up in a southern tobacco state....RJR tobacco had reps that stood on street corners near where lots of high school kids ate lunch with big stainless steele bowls full of five cig sample packs of winstons and salems...they freely handed them out to any and all kids and they did successfully get a lot of kids hooked on cigs/nicotine at a young age insuring they would be customers for decades.  I was one of them.

 

Now you have flashy kids flavor vapes being pushed ...the game may have changed a bit but the nicotine is still a horribly addictive drug and the goal is to get a new generation of addicted customers.

[stupidfarang]

Not safer, a cigarette contains an average of 10 to 12 millgrams of nicotine where a vape contains 20 to 40 millgrams and you can get 600 to 800 puffs per vape. 

[bamnutsak]

Kids are vaping dangerous chemicals every day...it's called breathing.

 

 

[connda]

But they ARE NOT cracking down on cigarettes to "protect the children."  Imho, the move has less to do with "protecting the children" than it does to protect a connected monopoly.  As usual, hypocrisy reins supreme.

[watchcat]

20 hours ago, SmartyMarty said:

My local cafe near 89 Plaza in Chiang Mai up to 8 police there every morning, many of them vaping. Such shining examples of law enforcement.

 

Why not take a photo of them?

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, watchcat said:

 

Why not take a photo of them?

 

You really want to make enemies of Police in Thailand? 😂

[Emdog]

2 hours ago, stupidfarang said:

Not safer, a cigarette contains an average of 10 to 12 millgrams of nicotine where a vape contains 20 to 40 millgrams and you can get 600 to 800 puffs per vape. 

Does nicotine cause cancer? If it did, you would think nicotine patches would be illegal. What causes cancer is the burning material, "Tobacco smoke is made up of more than 7000 chemicals, including over 70 known to cause cancer (carcinogens)." "Most smokeless tobacco products are made from tobacco leaves, so they have many of the same harmful chemicals as cigars and cigarettes." I smoked for more than 50 years, quit about 3 years ago. It isn't that difficult.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/carcinogens-found-in-tobacco-products.html

[BangkokReady]

4 hours ago, stupidfarang said:

Not safer, a cigarette contains an average of 10 to 12 millgrams of nicotine where a vape contains 20 to 40 millgrams and you can get 600 to 800 puffs per vape. 

 

Is it the nicotine that is harmful, though?

[BangkokReady]

4 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

Kids are vaping dangerous chemicals every day...it's called breathing.

 

 

 

I find it amusing that people who live in Thailand and don't wear a mask to protect from pollutants moan about the smell of cigarettes.