Taiwanese actress Charlene An’s police extortion case is increasing concerns over the legality of e-cigs and how smokers can still gain access to them despite a ban in the kingdom.
It most started when An posted on social media early this month saying she had been ceased and searched in a checkpoint while in the taxi with the girl friends during a particular date in Bangkok. The girl said she was threatened with a felony charge for having a good e-cigarette device plus later paid 27, 000 baht before leaving the country upon Jan 5.
Shortly after the girl post went viral, the Royal Thailänder Police began looking into the incident plus concluded that it was extortion. Huai Khwang police at the Ratchadaphisek checkpoint, on the early morning of Jan 4, ended the taxi for the search, the RTP said.
As a result, the public is now questioning whether e-cigarettes are truly illegal, with some experts offering the answer online.
Narong Kaewpetch, lawyer and leader of the Social Proper rights Campaign Network, stated on Facebook that the “possession of e cigarettes is illegal because the device is banned from import; the owner could face the maximum penalty of five years within prison and a good of four times the price plus delinquent tax, according to the Traditions Act 2017”.
The lawyer added that marketing e-cigarettes and vaping in public spaces is illegal by order of the Consumer Safety Board of 2015 and under the Cigarette Products Control Respond of 2017.
Despite the illegal status, e-cigarettes are explicitly promoted on social media platforms, specifically Instagram and Series. Online vape suppliers are using these systems to attract clients, such as university students, business men and working people.
Easy access
According to student Sirinya (surname withheld), a regular vaper, the unit is easy to find and purchase around her campus.
“Students often bring them through Malaysia or Tiongkok to resell, ” she said. “They are a very common issue to see. ”
The 22-year-old added: “I also found a store near the campus that sells e-liquids and related gadgets. ”
When asked about health concerns, she said this wounderful woman has become more susceptible to tonsillitis since she started using e-cigarettes, yet smoking relieves tension from studying.
Similarly, Chaya Zhu, 22, one more university student who vapes, said devices are easy to get hold of.
Vaping devices and an e-liquid bottle. (Photo: www.123rf.com)
“I bought from Instagram, but I see some online as well, ” mentioned Mr Chaya, exactly who says he has vaped for four yrs. “The shop is mainly known through word of mouth, ” he mentioned.
“Most sellers deliver the vape themselves, specifically around the university region where the service is usually standard practice. ”
Whenever asked about health concerns, he said vaping is usually primarily a social choice and that he only smokes within secluded areas, not public settings.
“I believe it is still unclear whether it be illegal for the proprietor, so I don’t wish to risk vaping in public, ” he said.
Based on 29-year-old Gif, the master of ceremonies, the device is widely sold on Line.
“Being illegal does not make it hard to find, ” she stated. “It is very easy, even though [its illegal status] drives upward prices. ”
Despite being sold on the internet, shops usually conceal their location, she said.
As for health issues, she said that the girl switched from smokes to vaping mainly because “it is much healthier and does not smell”.
Jenny, the 21-year-old university student, said she vapes sometimes to relax.
“The device is certainly pervasive and can be brought anywhere, whether from a friend or acquaintance, market, and particularly on social media, with the exception of the shopping apps, ” she said, adding it is widely known that owning a vaporiser is illegal primarily due to tax concerns.
She said she is a light vaper and is unconcerned by the consequences of vaping.
Just say ‘no’
Meanwhile, Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, executive secretary from the Action on Cigarette smoking and Health Foundation, said that legalising e-cigarettes is very dangerous pertaining to young people and it will encourage teens to start smoking cigarettes.
A study in the United States found that teenagers who vape are two to four times more prone to switch to smoking cigarettes than patients who don’t, this individual said.
Dr Prakit stated over 30 nations and territories worldwide, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, have prohibited e-cigarette sales to shield children.
If Thailand really wants to legalise e-cigarettes, it needs to make sure it can efficiently prevent usage amongst adolescents, he mentioned.
However , the International Marriage Against Tuberculosis plus Lung Disease suggests that banning the product is the greatest practice for building countries that cannot effectively follow the Entire world Health Organization’s Construction Convention on Cigarette Control, which aims to curb smoking cigarettes around the world, he stated.
“We are on the right monitor by banning e-cigarettes, ” Dr Prakit said. “But the problem is we are in trouble over the law enforcement [aspect]. Law enforcement is key in order to preventing the unlawful e-cigarette trade.
“Legalising e-cigarettes will put a burden on tobacco manage authorities and expenses because we terribly lack a lab to look at the quality of e-cigarettes in the country, ” he mentioned.
Regarding the health impact of e-cigarettes, Dr Prakit said that the THAT stated it could not reach a summary on whether they tend to be more dangerous than normal cigarettes.
E-cigarettes started becoming popular ten years back, he said, including lab tests have shown the particular detrimental effects of e-cigarettes on the lungs associated with mice.
Dr Prakit observed the notion that e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco can be false.
According to a National Statistics Office 2021 survey, there were nine. 9 million smokers in Thailand, 80, 000 of whom smoked e-cigarettes.