Thai Government Takes Strict Measures Against E-cigarettes: Official Meeting Outcome

According to Hfocus's report on July 5th, Tanakrit Jittariyarat, the Assistant Minister of the Thai Ministry of Public Health, was interviewed after hosting the first meeting on enforcing e-cigarette regulations and implementing measures to crack down on them.

The conference, organized by the Ministry of Public Health, was attended by Deputy Minister Wan Yubamrung, Major General Wichaya Sriprasert, Commander of the Consumer Protection and Crime Prevention Division, Dr. Adisorn Watanasak, Deputy Director General of the Department of Disease Control, and representatives from other relevant departments.

Thanakorn stated that the meeting was the first important step for the government to integrate the efforts of multiple departments to collectively combat and strictly enforce laws related to e-cigarettes. The meeting was convened by a task force established and signed by Minister of Public Health Somsak Thepsuthin, with participating departments including the Department of Disease Control, the Central Investigation Bureau, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.

He emphasized that the focus of the meeting is on strictly enforcing existing laws on the import, export, and possession of e-cigarettes, particularly increasing efforts to crack down on the sale of e-cigarettes to adolescents.

Dannah Garris emphasized that the current evolution of e-cigarettes is rapid, with the emergence of devices such as smart watch-style e-cigarettes that appear to be ordinary watches on the outside but are actually e-cigarettes on the inside. This poses a serious threat to children and teenagers, as they can easily mislead people and make it difficult to recognize the true purpose of these devices.

This type of e-cigarette is very difficult to identify because they look identical to regular watches on the outside, and I also use one myself.

Major General Wichaya Sriprasert stated that currently, Thai law strictly controls the use of e-cigarettes as they are classified as prohibited items. According to Article 246 of the Thai Customs Act of 2017, no person is allowed to import, export, or possess e-cigarettes. Anyone found in possession or using e-cigarettes could face up to 5 years in prison, or a fine up to four times the value of the product, or both. Smokers in public places can be fined up to 5,000 baht ($137.17 USD), and the police have the authority to confiscate e-cigarettes as evidence.

Vita emphasized that a worrying issue at present is the use of e-cigarettes as containers for other drugs. For example, some individuals are hiding Ketamine in e-cigarettes, making it appear as though they are vaping when they are actually consuming drugs. Additionally, some people intentionally hide drugs in e-cigarettes so that if caught by authorities, they will only be charged with possession of an e-cigarette rather than drugs. Therefore, police need to conduct more detailed inspections when examining e-cigarettes, including urine tests and chemical analysis. If any drug components are found in the e-cigarettes, criminal responsibility will be pursued in accordance with the Drug Act of 2564.