Thailand's Hidden Habit - Cigarettes!

[george]

Thailand's hidden habit

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's anti-tobacco lobby is on the verge of smoking out the ubiquitous display of cigarette packets that are placed behind or by the side of the cashiers' counters in retail shops across the country.

D-Day is September 24 when cigarette packets enter a state that would be worse than pornography here - banished completely from the public eye, hidden away in cupboards and only offered when a smoker seeks a nicotine fix.

And one of the leading targets of this campaign, the international chain of convenience stores 7-Eleven, has already been warned by a member of the anti-tobacco lobby that a boycott would ensue if cigarette packets are openly displayed after the deadline.

That warning by the Single Parent Network is with reason, since 7-Eleven has 3,100 retail stores across Thailand, making it the largest chain of stores that has cigarette packets displayed on racks within sight of the cashiers' counters.

This network has already collected more than 10,000 signatures from Thai students to back the ban on the display of cigarette packets announced by the Ministry of Public Health.

"Seven-Eleven has been one of the vocal opponents of this effort, so they have become a natural target," said Hatai Chitannondh, a medical doctor who is president of the Thai Health Promotion Institute.

"These point of sale displays of cigarette packets are one of the big factors that induce Thai youth into smoking. Getting rid of this point of sale display is to stop new smokers."

An estimated 500,000 retail outlets, including the small and gigantic supermarkets, are in the line of fire as Hatai and his campaigners push for full Health Ministry enforcement of Thailand's Tobacco Products Control Act of 1992.

This impending change in the way cigarettes are sold will place Thailand ahead of its Asian neighbors in ongoing efforts to prevent the public display of tobacco products.

"Thailand is the first government in Southeast Asia and perhaps the first in Asia to do so," said Mary Assunta, head of the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA), an umbrella group of more than 200 anti-smoking organizations across the world.

Bangkok's decision to go ahead with such a ban is in keeping with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCCT), she told IPS. "There is no reason for cigarettes, a regulated product, to be exempt from these restrictions."

The FCCT, which came into force in February, is the world's first public health treaty aimed at reducing the trail of death and disease caused by tobacco products. Under the section on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, it states that countries can "restrict use of direct and indirect incentives that encourage the purchase of tobacco products by the public".

And at a time when tobacco companies are finding previous avenues to display their products closed - such as advertising in the media - they consider "the pack as a vehicle for advertising," Assunta said. "The only way to prevent this is to prohibit pack display."

The forthcoming ban follows the triumph the anti-tobacco lobby experienced earlier this year, when tobacco companies, compelled by law, began to display graphic images about the dangers of smoking on the outer cover of cigarette packets.

These images, which cover half the packet, made Thailand only the fourth country in the world to introduce such measures. The other three are Brazil, Canada and Singapore.

Prior to that, smoking was outlawed in air-conditioned restaurants and a strict ban on cigarette advertisements was imposed, earning Thailand praise for such measures despite the country having a huge domestic producer of cigarettes and also being a tobacco grower.

But the anti-tobacco lobby still has a formidable challenge, given that the country has 10.6 million smokers, nearly a sixth of the population, with the youngest smokers thought to begin puffing at age 11.

According to studies done by Thailand Action on Smoking and Health Foundation, a non-governmental organization, nearly 125 people die every day in this Southeast Asian country due to smoking-related diseases. And increasingly more women are taking to cigarettes, it adds.

However, the percentage of Thai smokers ranks below other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Vietnam tops the list, with 73% of the male population smoking, followed by Cambodia where 70% of men smoke and Indonesia where 68% of men smoke, states the World Health Organization (WHO).

Globally, there are 1.3 billion smokers, of whom nearly 650 million will die prematurely due to tobacco-related illnesses, adds the Geneva-based health body.

Hatai hopes to save some of these lives by making it more difficult to buy cigarettes at retail shops here. "By closing this avenue, buying a cigarette will require an effort and it will not be as easy as before."

--Inter Press Service 2005-08-31

[meom]

Thailand's hidden habit

Hatai hopes to save some of these lives by making it more difficult to buy cigarettes at retail shops here. "By closing this avenue, buying a cigarette will require an effort and it will not be as easy as before."

--Inter Press Service 2005-08-31

What effort? Instead of turning her back around to get the cigarettes the cashier has to bend down a bit to get them from under the counter. Probably more strain on her knees but less on her spine so I don't know really what's the difference in effort.

[wrestler7902002]

Is there a minimum legal age for smoking in Thailand? If so, when young boys and girls go to buy cigarettes, must they show their Thai ID card?

Cigarettes at less than 40baht/pack in Thailand, a lot less than other countries, like USA, 120 baht/pack.

If someone dies or is terminally ill from smoking cigarettes in America, there are individual or class-action lawsuits where millions of $USD are awarded to smokers or their families. Of course, the lawyers take 30-40%.

I don't think that anyone can or has sued the tobacco companies in Thailand for their smoking habits.

Edited August 31, 2005 by wrestler7902002

[bob/nyc]

Is there a minimum legal age for smoking in Thailand? If so, when young boys and girls go to buy cigarettes, must they show their Thai ID card?

Cigarettes at less than 40baht/pack in Thailand, a lot less than other countries, like USA, 120 baht/pack.

If someone dies or is terminally ill from smoking cigarettes in America, there are individual or class-action lawsuits where millions of $USD are awarded to smokers or their families. Of course, the lawyers take 30-40%.

I don't think that anyone can or has sued the tobacco companies in Thailand for their smoking habits.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Cigarettes in NYC (Marlboro, for example) cost $7.00 per pack, thanks to the mayors $2.00 extra cigarette tax, and I dont see where smoking is any less today than beore the increase. Hopefully Thailand does not try that trick, although as much as they want to curb smoking, they also do not want to lose the cigarette tax incom. This is a big problem espcially in European countries. Set a smoking age if they don't have one and card them.

[DJ Moore]

Thailand's hidden habit

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's anti-tobacco lobby is on the verge of smoking out the ubiquitous display of cigarette packets that are placed behind or by the side of the cashiers' counters in retail shops across the country.

D-Day is September 24 when cigarette packets enter a state that would be worse than pornography here - banished completely from the public eye, hidden away in cupboards and only offered when a smoker seeks a nicotine fix.

Oh no, my beloved LOS emulating the west.

I will be relocating to Thailand, and was hoping that I was leaving behind many of the dam, down right silly regulations that the west imposes on its citizens............

Commercials telling us not to gamble, smoke, drink.......

The Government however controls much of these activities anyway, and places extremely high taxes on them, earning a pretty substantial amount on these vices, while at the same discourages them.

Now many cities and towns in the USA ban cell use while driving, because they determined people talking causes more accidents. If one happens and they feel it was on account of cell use, they want to impose a harsher penalty.....

Soon they probably ban my radio, food and drink in my car............

Oh not long ago I had a minor accident, and when I got out of my car the officer ask me what happened.

I told him I was distracted cause I was scratching my nuts.

I hope for bloody sakes they don't ban my nuts................ DJM

[Sphere]

Isn't the Thai Tobacco Monopoly that is responsible for all cigarette production here completely government owned?