Thai govt prohibits sales of individual cigarettes

[webfact]

MOPH prohibits sales of individual cigarettes

  

NONTHABURI, 7 March 2017 (NNT) – The Ministry of Public Health has prohibited the sales of individual cigarettes to deter youths' access to tobacco. 

Department of Disease Control (DDC) Director General Jedsada Chokdamrongsuk said the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) had introduced legislation to ban the sales of individual cigarettes which was approved by the National Legislative Assembly to prevent the access to tobacco consumption by children and youths, according to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. 

According to the information from July 2016, 93 countries across the globe have enacted a law preventing individual cigarette sales, while a 2011 survey from the National Statistical Office shows 88.3 percent of tobacco consumers in Thailand aged 15-17 years old started smoking by purchasing individual cigarettes. 

The prevention of individual cigarette sales will help non-regular smokers to quit smoking easier, as Thailand now has some one million non-regular smokers, the DDC chief said. 

He cited a medical research as showing the access to individually sold cigarettes makes it more difficult for people to quit smoking as they can easily and cheaply buy cigarettes whenever they wish to smoke, even if they might have enough money to purchase a whole pack.

 

-- nnt 2017-03-07

[fruitman]

So now people willing to stop smoking  will buy a whole pack instead of 1....If that pack is in their pocket there's a big chance they will smoke all of them instead of stopping.

[rkidlad]

Oh yea? Just like Mom and Pop shops don't sell alcohol from 2-5, etc. Give over. You can't stop this practice.

[colinneil]

They tried this 1 years ago, didnt work then wont work now.

Every village/mum-pop shop does it, and legislate all you want it will go on and on.

[Thailand]

Cough, cough! 

[darksidedog]

So now the yougsters will be forced to club together to get 20, which will be cheaper for them per cigarette, meaning they can smoke more.

[Emster23]

Another brilliant plan from those great government officials filling a much needed gap in the laws!

[KhunBENQ]

I will now walk to the village shops and tell them

 

Such "micro deals" are one of the extras they can offer compared to the chains.

2 cigarettes, half a bottle of lao khao and two headache pills please.

[Mook23]

1 minute ago, Emster23 said:

Another brilliant plan from those great government officials filling a much needed gap in the laws!

So many brainfarts. So many crackdowns. So many hub options. So many ambitions. So little results.

[thenewgoo]

'''to deter youths access''

Why not just ask for ID before selling to the youths. That's the law already is it not. Nobody likes confrontation in this country, all laws become optional.

[NextStationBangkok]

You mean if i need just a cigarette a day, i am forced to buy a pack and smoke ?

 

Or buy a pack and share with friends ?  What a pathetic idea!

 

Even they have restrictions on Alcohol purchase timings, does it work ? the sales quantity is same, so who is not drinking ?

 

If one cannot buy in 7-11, go to the next soi, you can find a old mama sitting there with smile is ready to sell any number of bottles from her cooler, which is nicely chilled than 7-11's.

 

Thailand is day dreaming with restrictions.

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

to deter youths' access to tobacco. 

No, to deter infringement on the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly.

[CantSpell]

1 hour ago, Mook23 said:

So many brainfarts. 

"Article 44, helps you pass them faster."

Soon available at mom and pop near you

 

Missed my carrier, should have been doing advertising slogans 

[IAMHERE]

If you give me ten baht I'll let you throw this cigarette away for me.

 

It was some poor fellow selling one at a time that got killed by police in the USA just a year or so ago. Hope BIB aren't as vigilant as New York City cops.  Eric Garner

Edited March 7, 2017 by IAMHERE
2nd thought

[Beats56]

Ain't going to work. I can send my Gf neice to the store to get smokes and beer at a mom and pop store and she is only 14. Then there is a girl down that street that does laundry and will sell the same. In Canada they won't sell smokes to anyone under 19 and our beer etc is controlled by the liquor control board. Cripes they wouldn't  sell me a case of beer because I looked drunk and all i was getting off a 12 hour shift and was tired.

Kinda Pissed me off...I just went to another beer store.

[Wilsonandson]

The small plastic sleeve bag shares have dropped overnight and are at an all time low.

[SiamBeast]

You can pass as many laws as you can, if nobody is there to enforce them, it's not worth sh1t. I even tried last month to buy beer at 7/11 and I forgot it was 16:00 and the employee said "cannot. go buy in soi".

[Wilsonandson]

Look, you're not allowed to gamble in Thailand but I've seen many people do it.

You're not allowed to ride a motorcycle without a helmet.

You're not allowed to get away with murder even if your a Billionaire.

You're not allowed to launder money through a temple.

Many, many things you are not allowed to do but many do and many get away with it here in Los.

[overherebc]

Ah, I remember the days of the thrupny single and a free match in UK.

[Mickmouse1]

BREAKING NEWS..11 local officials hurt in as hotel lift go into a free fall...I wonder if police will say A failed/Attempted suicide ????

[toofarnorth]

2 hours ago, overherebc said:

Ah, I remember the days of the thrupny single and a free match in UK.

Don't remember those but the first ones I do remember buying were Dominoes , 4 for 6d I think about 1961.

[dinsdale]

10 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Mom and Pop shops don't sell alcohol from 2-5,

They can sell alcohol between 2 and 5 also midnight to 11. In fact these stupid midnight -11 & 2-5  bans (not Ma & Pa shops) came in under Thaksin some 13-14 yrs ago. Reason given 'to deter students access to alcohol during and immediately after school hours.

 

10 hours ago, webfact said:

to deter youths' access to tobacco. 

Of course this cant buy single cigs is just more desperation from a financially  broke junta.

[snowgard]

8 hours ago, thenewgoo said:

'''to deter youths access''

Why not just ask for ID before selling to the youths. That's the law already is it not. Nobody likes confrontation in this country, all laws become optional.

It's the same with this stupid alcohol selling times. If the shops check the ID Cards and police give hard penalties (100.000 & up) to shops what sale to the youth this stupid times are never needed.

[Colabamumbai]

13 hours ago, Beats56 said:

Ain't going to work. I can send my Gf neice to the store to get smokes and beer at a mom and pop store and she is only 14. Then there is a girl down that street that does laundry and will sell the same. In Canada they won't sell smokes to anyone under 19 and our beer etc is controlled by the liquor control board. Cripes they wouldn't  sell me a case of beer because I looked drunk and all i was getting off a 12 hour shift and was tired.

Kinda Pissed me off...I just went to another beer store.

You could be arrested for beer farts in Canada, but we do have a good selection of beer.

[hawker9000]

 I'm all for keeping cigarettes out of the hands of youths - absolutely.  But Thailand is having  a love affair with legal prohibitions, and usually to no purpose except as a pretext for a money-grab for you-know-who.   I never needed Big Brother to tell me I shouldn't smoke.  The msg got through in a bunch of other ways, early on, and I was never really tempted.  Thailand might do well to spend a little effort exploring the "other ways".

Edited March 8, 2017 by hawker9000

[Kru Baa]

Let's prohibit everything since we don't know what the hell else to do.