Thailand sees 1,000 new juvenile smokers daily

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Jan 10 – Fifty per cent of Thai men at the age of being fathers are smokers, while new juvenile smoking is reported at 1,000 persons a day, according to Thailand’s tobacco control expert.

Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, secretary general of Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand, called on parents and educators to fight against smoking among juveniles given the latest figure of 400,000 smokers aged 15-18.

His plea marks National Children’s Day on Saturday and annual Teachers’ Day next Wednesday.

With the rapid increase of new smokers, the country’s total number of 12 million smokers in the last two decades has not dropped despite successive anti-smoking campaigns, he said.

Most paternal smokers are between 25 and 44 years old, Dr Prakit said, adding that 8.8 per cent of Thailand's teachers are also listed among the country's smokers.

He said parents’ and teachers’ attitudes towards smoking have greatly impacted youths’ smoking or non-smoking behaviour.

A youth’s chance of turning to cigarettes reduces sevenfold if his parents are strongly against smoking, he said, adding that teachers are no less influential to children than parents.

Declaring school premises as non-smoking lessens the chance of juveniles practicing the smoking habit during and after classes, he said. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-01-10

1000, 10000, 100000... they have no clue at all!!!

Declaring school premises as non-smoking lessens the chance of juveniles practicing the smoking habit during and after classes, he said...

The only way they are going to stop kids from smoking is to ban sales between 2pm and 5pm.

That will see the stats fall dramatically.

Might as well stop educating the kids. It does not work.. These "stats" show that education is not working....

Might as well stop educating the kids. It does not work.. These "stats" show that education is not working....

ya think?.. seriously tho...I tend to agree with you

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App

ah, smoking, drinking, doing drugs, gambling, soooooooooo thainess

"Declaring school premises as non-smoking lessens the chance of juveniles practicing the smoking habit during and after classes..."

This will work as well as the signs for 2000 baht fine for smoking in restaurants, 100% success rate for helmet use, and only making right turns when the light turns green among others. When students see uniformed officials riding without helmets, smoking cigarettes and breaking various laws on a daily basis, where is motivation to change "negative" behaviors?

Put the cost of all cigarettes to 300-500b a packet for both domestic and international brands - then watch all smoker stats drop, regardless of age, nationality or profession!

But then what to do with all the employees of TTM and their associated hangars on?

Truly bizarre. On one level, a rabidly anti-smoking health ministry and medical profession, and the government growing tobacco and making their own cigarettes.

Putting the price up of tobacco up only makes more crime

Smoking seems like such an archaic practice now. 5 years after quitting, I just don't understand why people smoke any more.

Do what all good countries do, put the excise tax up so far ,that it's too expensive to buy, you would then have black market to control , all apart of the risk assessment.

Put the cost of all cigarettes to 300-500b a packet for both domestic and international brands - then watch all smoker stats drop, regardless of age, nationality or profession!

Great idea and while they are at it they could do the same for alcohol which represents a fairly equal health rish to this society in general

I have always wondered - in addition to the graphic images - why it is not emphasised more that nicotine is a potentially addictive and nasty drug like heroin, and once you are hooked, stopping smoking, for many people like myself, becomes an absolute nightmare.

I will never forget the year-long torment of my own traumatic withdrawal symptoms over 30 years ago - and I still feel the hidden desire when a whiff of Gauloises wafts in my direction.

I grew up in the 50's when it was fashionable 'healthy' and 'macho' to smoke. I recall the appealing tobacco ads for Camel, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, including those endorsed by Ronald Reagan and the nostalgic UK cigarette taglines like: 'You're Never Alone with a Strand' or 'Senior Service Satisfies'

Back then, there was no awareness of the awesome dangers, and it was almost unsociable if you didn't light up. Now, in 2013 with the irrefutable and frightening evidence of disease, addiction, plus the huge financial cost, it seems unthinkable that otherwise intelligent kids still fall into this deadly trap, which for many, becomes a prison of no escape.

Clearly not enough is being done to protect children, and I suppose, as before, the tobacco companies, plus the taxation departments, will continue laughing all the way to the bank.

Do what all good countries do, put the excise tax up so far ,that it's too expensive to buy, you would then have black market to control , all apart of the risk assessment.

the vast majority of tobacco in the country is completely void of any tax whatsoever. Rolled and packaged cigarettes barely make up a majority of tobacco sales in the country, the rest is so called "chop chop" available in little bags for self rolling. Now if you want to know how much the owners of those businesses make, think of a number and times it by 100.

I'm still amazed to see my local mom&pop shop here in the heart of Bangkok selling cigarettes by ones and twos. Mostly taxi drivers, motorcyclists, local late-teens/early twenties folk. Plus the Lao Khao mixed with energy into smaller bottles, a single beer bottle with straws, etc., etc. The 300 Baht / day doesn't seem to have changed this habit

Another OP that shows, that Thais have given up on educating their children!

It is easier to "not talk about" or "ban" or "crackdown" on cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, condoms, sex, video games, social media etc. than just have a plan to EDUCATE children in an open and informative manor about the risks of...oh well...mai pen rai!

its just not going to work. placing graphic warnings, tombstone advertising (A4 black &white), raising taxes, age limit...

just look at alcohol consumption & results, poor driving habits and results, these 3 categories have the highest fatalities

in this country.

ah, smoking, drinking, doing drugs, gambling, soooooooooo thainess

Sounds like a typical farang night out on Walking Street.

Wheres the money coming from for smokes, phones, bikes, booze ? Daft parents.

The area to the left of the lake in Queen Sirikit Park is Thai Tobacco Monopoly property covering many hectares in one of the most expensive areas of Bangkok. It has been there for 73 years.

Ironically, they even have a hospital in the grounds. The land must be worth many billions of baht.

The information in this link is interesting to say the least.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand_Tobacco_Monopoly

" TTM is one of the most profitable state enterprises, returning substantial revenues to the state treasury."

A good enough reason to keep it going, ... or is it?

"The Acting Chairman of TTM, Mr. Amnuay Preemanawong, is also the Inspector General of the Ministry of Finance"

No conflict of interest here then?

IMHO, the government needs the revenue to survive.

During the investigation of bribery charges with regard to TTM it was disclosed that officals of this company had secured bribes amounting to in excess of 2 million US$ within a 4 year period. THe foreign companies were found guilty and had to pay many millions in reparations and fines, meanwhile TTM were laughing all the way to their off shore accounts.

Put the cost of all cigarettes to 300-500b a packet for both domestic and international brands - then watch all smoker stats drop, regardless of age, nationality or profession!

Do the same with sex and beer - let's all become monks!!! Or monkey's!!!!!!

Another OP that shows, that Thais have given up on educating their children!

It is easier to "not talk about" or "ban" or "crackdown" on cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, condoms, sex, video games, social media etc. than just have a plan to EDUCATE children in an open and informative manor about the risks of...oh well...mai pen rai!

Maybe Western Governments should have done this in the 60's when they were all warned about smoking in particular? Nooooo they also kept their mouths shut and went for the money!

The area to the left of the lake in Queen Sirikit Park is Thai Tobacco Monopoly property covering many hectares in one of the most expensive areas of Bangkok. It has been there for 73 years.

Ironically, they even have a hospital in the grounds. The land must be worth many billions of baht.

The information in this link is interesting to say the least.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand_Tobacco_Monopoly

" TTM is one of the most profitable state enterprises, returning substantial revenues to the state treasury."

A good enough reason to keep it going, ... or is it?

"The Acting Chairman of TTM, Mr. Amnuay Preemanawong, is also the Inspector General of the Ministry of Finance"

No conflict of interest here then?

IMHO, the government needs the revenue to survive.

forget the marketing plan

The associated costs of buying ttm are so prohibitive its impossible.

Whilst cigarettes in Australia have been sold in packs displaying a warning and image for quite some years now, recent changes mean that all packs now look like this:

the brandname appears only once on the pack and is in letters not even 1/4 inch tall.

All brands look exactly the same although there are a variety of images.

Cigarettes are not permitted to be displayed for sale and are hidden away in a cabinet behind a shop's counter.

The main aim of this scheme is to reduce their attraction to young people. Much to my disappointment, my son has just started smoking.

Let them smoke. It's not like anyone cares about their safety anyway. Who cares if they get cancer later? The government doesn't. No one does.