E-cigarettes - "light up" and face years in jail

[Thunderbirds20]

I saw two unrelated people smoking E-cigarettes in Pattaya the other night. I am sure they did not realize they were liable for 5 years in prison for doing so!

[DrTuner]

So when I arrive at swampy will have my Ecig and 10 bottles of liquid.

Will they be enforcing this ?

Extremely unlikely, but they can if they want to.

[DrTuner]

I saw two unrelated people smoking E-cigarettes in Pattaya the other night.

I must be getting dyslexic. I read unregulated people.

[tomacht8]

Which laws are the basis?
Find no laws, where the smoke an e-cigarette is threatened with up to 5 years in prison ?
Also in the 5 classes Drugs Register there are no nicotine or flavorings listed.
Whoever brings his personal e-cigarette in the value of $100, commits no tax offenses?
Strange or maybe the BIB have it misinformed?

1. Tobacco Products Control Act BE2535 (1992), Section 10: No person shall be allowed to manufacture, import for sale or general distribution or advertise any goods having such an appearance as to be understood as an imitation of such tobacco products as cigarettes or cigars under the law on tobacco or of the package of the said products. Those who violate this law might face a penalty not exceeding 20,000 baht.

2. Drug Act BE2510 (1967), Section 12: No person should produce or sell modern drugs or import or order modern drugs into the Kingdom, unless he has obtained a licence from the licensing authority. Those who violate this law could face a penalty of up to five years imprisonment and a fine not exceeding 10,000 baht. Also Section 72: It shall be prohibited to produce, sell or import non-registered drugs. Those who violate this law might be imprisoned for a term not exceeding five years and be subject to a fine not exceeding 20,000 baht.

3. Customs Act BE2469 (1926), Section 27: Any person who imports or brings into the Kingdom any tax unpaid, restricted or prohibited goods, or any goods that have not duly passed through customs shall be subject to a fine of four times the value of the goods, including the relevant duty, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or both.

[DrTuner]

Not a law. A ministerial regulation governing import taxes, among others. Good luck finding the source text, it's probably one of those fax circulars going around in the offices. The harshest penalty seems to be for importing with the intent to sell.

EDIT: ah right I'm wrong, there it was, right above. Customs Act BE2469 (1926), Section 27. I've once seen a man walk through the green line at Swampy carrying what looked like a brand new canoe on his head, with the customs guys chuckling and pointing with a finger at him. TIT. 1926, good vintage.

Edited June 21, 2016 by DrTuner

[tomacht8]

For smoking cessation, there are indeed nicotine gums and nicotine patches.
Just as an e-cigarette, no tobacco happens to be there.
Nicotine is not listed as a 5 class drug.
I find that the mere use is punishable by 5 years: moronic.

[DrTuner]

I find that the mere use is punishable by 5 years: moronic.

Not use, possession. I think what they're trying to imply is they'll snatch you with illegally imported e-juice where tax hasn't been paid, because it's not possible to do so. This seems to have it's roots with the shisha ban, if you ever saw a pack of shisha at the arab places, there was no Thai tax sticker on it. Gray import.

But worry not. Everything except the nicotine is available right here in Thailand, you can cook your own 0% juices with the kitchen blender. Tax paid and all.

Edited June 21, 2016 by DrTuner

[jaaaason]

Wait until some unsuspecting tourists come over here,light up their e-cig ,get arrested and it becomes international news...Great for the image...

[DrTuner]

Wait until some unsuspecting tourists come over here,light up their e-cig ,get arrested and it becomes international news...Great for the image...

You can bank on Kobkarn popping up and promoting vape tourism in 1..2..

[SiSePuede419]

Nonsense.

E-cigarettes are not addictive.

Just ask any "genius" who smokes them.

They can quit anytime they want.

In fact, they're planning on quiting "tomorrow".

555

[IAMHERE]

It is all about the taxes. Cigarettes are highly taxed, vape none or not at all.

[DrTuner]

I don't think you should smoke e-cigs either. You'll need at least 1000 DegC flame to do that and the smoke from the batteries is a wee bit arid.

[Mook23]

So it's ok for Hiso families to drive around drunk killing innocents and getting virtually Scott free but you light up an artifice bunger and you 5 years in the slammer.

What's wrong with this picture Thailand ?

Well. There's nothing wrong with that picture according to the powers that be.

"Our will is the law! Back to your paddies, serfs!"

(added)

Edited June 21, 2016 by Mook23

[ozyjon]

Lock them up in a smoking room and throw away the keys.

[Moonmoon]

So it's ok for Hiso families to drive around drunk killing innocents and getting virtually Scott free but you light up an artifice bunger and you 5 years in the slammer.

What's wrong with this picture Thailand ?

Hiso families have brown envelops but e.ciggs no tax. Thats why

[lamecn]

It must be a big crime , Thailand wake the hell up. Paradise lost.

No, you get it wrong. It's not about the E-cigarettes themselves, which are probably much safer than the ordinary variety which are loaded with health damaging toxins!

It's the tax issue. The Government wants to get money from this product. Thailand is no different from anywhere else.

Sugar is one of the most addictive known substances, proven to be more addictive than cocaine. The consumption of sugar is far higher than consumption of e-liquid and tobacco, so why not "start the tax fight" with the sugar industry and the sugarcane farmers? Most Thais would still keep adding sugar to literally everything, and tax money for more arms and ammunition would flow into the flabby Treasury.

[DrTuner]

Lock them up in a smoking room and throw away the keys.

smoking-room.jpg

Oh how I miss those. The war stories in the mist were the best.

[sugarcane24]

For those who need their nicotine E-cigarettes is a much healthier way to take it rather via normal tobacco cigarettes with all the associated health problems.

Nicotine on it's own is not carcinogenic but just about everything else in a tobacco cigarette is. E-Cigarettes are encouraged in some countries in preference to tobacco cigarettes which kill people. But no not in Thailand, it is more important to collect tax rather than save lives.

Reminds me of a tale called Alice-in-Wonderland.

[MrTee]

Nicotine has been shown to have positive benefits.. what is your point?

[Shaunduhpostman]

Many posting that e-cigs are indeed harmfull. OK, maybe so. So then the solution is to put people in prison for 5-10 years for smoking them?

[Jackin1960]

5555555555 then fell off my perch. Still 55555 my socks off. Seriously messed up. I hope tourists are given the heads up in BIG BOLD PRINT with a note to say it's not a joke.

[Puccini]

Which laws are the basis?

Find no laws, where the smoke an e-cigarette is threatened with up to 5 years in prison ?

Also in the 5 classes Drugs Register there are no nicotine or flavorings listed.

Whoever brings his personal e-cigarette in the value of $100, commits no tax offenses?

Strange or maybe the BIB have it misinformed?

1. Tobacco Products Control Act BE2535 (1992), Section 10: No person shall be allowed to manufacture, import for sale or general distribution or advertise any goods having such an appearance as to be understood as an imitation of such tobacco products as cigarettes or cigars under the law on tobacco or of the package of the said products. Those who violate this law might face a penalty not exceeding 20,000 baht.

2. Drug Act BE2510 (1967), Section 12: No person should produce or sell modern drugs or import or order modern drugs into the Kingdom, unless he has obtained a licence from the licensing authority. Those who violate this law could face a penalty of up to five years imprisonment and a fine not exceeding 10,000 baht. Also Section 72: It shall be prohibited to produce, sell or import non-registered drugs. Those who violate this law might be imprisoned for a term not exceeding five years and be subject to a fine not exceeding 20,000 baht.

3. Customs Act BE2469 (1926), Section 27: Any person who imports or brings into the Kingdom any tax unpaid, restricted or prohibited goods, or any goods that have not duly passed through customs shall be subject to a fine of four times the value of the goods, including the relevant duty, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or both.

Thank you for this. Since importation appears to be illegal, it means that it cannot be imported and therefore value added tax cannot be collected. Perhaps this is the tax the policewoman is talking about, since import duty is not a tax.

It also means that it cannot legally be brought into the country as part of the duty-free allowance.

Possession is illegal because it would be possession of a contraband product.

Whereas smoking it does not seem to be explicitly illegal, in order to smoke it one would have to be in possession of it, which is illegal.

[SiSePuede419]

"Nicotine on it's own is not carcinogenic"

Only an drug addict would claim that.

Nicotine is more toxic than cyanide.

555

[SiSePuede419]

"oh look. We have a contender for most moronic post of the week - well played sir."

You must be smarter than me because you're addicted to Nicotine.

555

[MrTee]

"oh look. We have a contender for most moronic post of the week - well played sir."

You must be smarter than me because you're addicted to Nicotine.

555

wrong again cupcake. 555

Edited June 21, 2016 by MrTee

[outsider]

Amphetamines off the narcotics list, but get five years for smoking e-cig. Thailand oh Thailand... Sure, this is the work of Big Tobacco, but you didn't have to make yourself into such a big fool!!!

[Maestro]

"Nicotine on it's own is not carcinogenic"

Only an drug addict would claim that.

Nicotine is more toxic than cyanide.

555

You appear to be saying that cyanide is carcinogenic, but is this what you want to say?

[jesimps]

For those who need their nicotine E-cigarettes is a much healthier way to take it rather via normal tobacco cigarettes with all the associated health problems.

Nicotine on it's own is not carcinogenic but just about everything else in a tobacco cigarette is. E-Cigarettes are encouraged in some countries in preference to tobacco cigarettes which kill people. But no not in Thailand, it is more important to collect tax rather than save lives.

From the American Lung Association: http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/e-cigarettes-and-lung-health.html?referrer=https://www.google.co.th/

Starting in August 2016, FDA will begin to apply and enforce key provisions of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act as it relates to the sales, marketing and manufacturing of e-cigarettes.

We don't presently know what is in e-cigarettes. However, in initial lab tests conducted in 2009 the FDA found detectable levels of toxic cancer-causing chemicals, including an ingredient used in anti-freeze, in two leading brands of e-cigarettes and 18 various cartridges. A review of studies found that levels of toxins in e-cigarette aerosol varied considerably within and between brands. A 2014 study found that aerosol from e-cigarettes with a higher voltage level contains more formaldehyde, another carcinogen with the potential to cause cancer. The findings are alarming, and underscores why the American Lung Association called so urgently for FDA oversight of these products.

Flavors in e-cigarettes are also a cause for concern. Not only are flavors used to target kids, but they may be harmful on their own. E-cigarette and flavor manufacturers and marketers may suggest that the flavor ingredients used in e-cigarettes are safe because they have FEMA GRASTM status for use in food, but such statements are false and misleading. The reality is that FEMA GRASTM status only applies to food, meaning it's safe to eat, and does not apply to inhaling through e-cigarettes.

Diacetyl, a buttery flavored chemical often added to food products such as popcorn, caramel, and dairy products, has also been found in some e-cigarettes with flavors. Diacetyl can cause a serious and irreversible lung disease commonly known as "popcorn lung."⁴

Poisoning concern

Aside from concerns about e-cigarette use and emissions alone, data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that calls to the nation's poison centers for e-cigarette exposure poisonings are rapidly increasing. One study found that while most calls involving e-cigarette liquid poisoning came from accidental ingestion of the e-cigarette or its liquid, about one-sixth of the calls related to someone inhaling these items. Exposure through the eye and the skin were also reported.

More blx from the Thai-bashing policeman.

I've just watched a very authoritative British documentary doing an independent investigation of e cigs and the conclusions were that although there were very slight harmful effects, in comparison with cigarettes, they were minimal.

It also said that the main users of e-cigs were existing smokers and only a minuscule amount of non-smokers were tempted to use them. It also said that although we don't know what the long-term effects of of vaping are, we do know the devastating long-term effects caused by smoking. Vaping in other words couldn't do any worse.

The programme also did an experiment, and out of eight smokers who went cold turkey only 2 of them lasted the month, whereas all eight people using e-cigs were still off the smokes. Therefore, it's a great aid to giving up smoking.

It appears that most of the harmful effects of smoking are caused by the combustion process and of course vaping doesn't have this.

Because we don't know the long term effects (I would bet my shirt that there aren't any), like smoking, vaping should be banned in public places. But anyone wishing to use or sell them is hardly being irresponsible. Considering that smoking seems to get the nod from the govt. I hesitate to suggest that the tobacco companies have something to do with this.

If I were to return to tobacco addiction I know which method I'd choose.

Suradit69, I've said it before, but please don't take every criticism of Thailand as Thai-bashing. It gets boring.

Edited June 21, 2016 by jesimps

[The Grumpy Vaper]

Hang on a mo guys... If you're in denial regarding the validity of ecigs being the biggest life saver of the 21st century (which they will be) then trust in Public Health England:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review

Don't believe the FDA or WHO - both are funded hugely by big tobacco.

I introduced my Father to ecigs after he'd smoked 60-80 a day for 60 years. He quit tobacco on day one of ecig use and over time reduced his nicotine levels - he's been smoke and vape free now for over two years. Ok, this is anecdotal, yes - but I see stories like this everyday as I work in the industry. I started vaping a few years back and have reduced my nicotine from 24mg to 3mg. I have no plans for an endgame with vaping, as I believe in some of the studies which claim that nicotine may suppress Alzheimers and nicotine is on par with caffeine in the poison stakes.

I find this new clampdown hugely problematic for many reasons - the major one being the fact that The Thai Tobacco Monopoly is the only entity which will gain, while thousands die every year in Thailand from smoking related illnesses and will continue to die without trying vapiing as a smoking cessation device.

Vaping saves lives - it's as simple as that.

I'm visiting my Dad in Pattaya in early July for ten days. I'm now very worried to take any vaping paraphernalia with me at all - I wonder how soon it will be before the police make an example out of a vaping farang visiting Thailand?

[WhamBam]

Vape in the condo / house but you have to smoke ciggies when outside (in the pub for example) to get a nicotene hit, if you need one.

Yes, madness.