Experts Argue that Vaping and E-cigarettes Should Remain illegal in Thailand

(CTN News) – E-cigarettes and vaping equipment should continue to be prohibited in Thailand, according to several experts. They claim a dry herb vaporizer is very damaging to people’s health and should remain illegal products during a discussion on Monday in Bangkok.

The import, sale, and use of any vaping products, hookahs, and electronic hookahs are now prohibited in Thailand, according to the director of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board’s (OCPB) Legal Execution Division.

These regulations may have severe penalties. A five-times-the-product-value fine and up to 10 years in jail are the possible penalties for importing.

A 60,000 baht fine and up to three years in jail are the penalties for selling unlawful goods. Vaping and e-cigarettes smuggling carries penalties of up to ten years in jail and fines of up to 500,000 baht.

A user who is found with an e-cigarette or vape pen faces a fine of four times the product’s worth and a jail sentence of up to five years in Thailand.

At Bangkok’s Khlong Thom Market, dealers of these products have recently been detained 13 times by officials.

They are now climbing up the food chain with their sights set on significant importers and vendors of hookahs and vaporizer products. There are ten substantial importers, each with distribution companies worth more than 1 billion baht.

In his words, “police will approach the Anti-Money Laundering Office to find out whether someone prominent is involved” if they apprehend vaping device traffickers.

The Action on Smoking and Health Foundation’s president raised concerns about the respiratory system injury caused by nicotine, hazardous compounds, and ultrafine particles found in vaping devices.

Additionally, nicotine makes it addicting, and 70% of users report difficulty stopping vaping. Before experts can validate any claims that vaping is superior to regular E-cigarettes, 30 years of data must be gathered.

Some vaporizers provide a nicotine rush comparable to smoking 50 E-cigarettes at once. However, since they believe vaping is healthier, many individuals utilize it to “cut down” on smoking E-cigarettes.

Furthermore, young individuals ignorant of the risks are drawn to the 16,000 flavors and kinds. The World Health Organization has long cautioned against letting youngsters smoke using vaping devices.

Many nations are starting to see these risks more clearly. Only 13 nations outlawed vapes and vaping in 2014. However, that number will increase to 32 nations in 2021.

From 3.3% in 2015 to 8.1% in 2021, the proportion of Thai youngsters ages 13 to 15 addicted to vaping has skyrocketed. Additionally, according to the study, 33% of Thai people were determined to be vaping addicts in 2021.

The Ministry of the Digital Economy and Society has taken down 7,000 websites about vaping devices. To prevent anyone, particularly youngsters, from having access to internet advertising for vaping devices, the OCPB has teamed up with the police.

Authorities regard marketing vaping items as aiding and abetting. Thus, advertisers may also face penalties.

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