PUBLISHED : 2 Aug 2024 at 04:00
Deputy Public Health Minister Thanakrit Jitareerat is calling for the introduction of a separate law to restrict the use and sales of e-cigarettes in Thailand, saying existing laws have proved to be ineffective.
At a discussion at the National Health Commission Office on Wednesday, Mr Thanakrit said that while the Public Health Ministry has formed a task force to investigate the issue, no law specifically deals with e-cigarettes.
As a result, different agencies are individually enforcing measures based on different laws, he said, calling all agencies to synchronise their efforts to ensure the crackdown’s success.
“The measures we have rolled out to date have proved ineffective, so a specific law on the matter must be drafted as soon as possible,” he said, calling vaping a “serious threat to society”.
He took aim at government officials who continue to vape despite the e-cigarette ban, saying they are part of the reason the crackdown has stalled.
However, NHCO chairman Banjerd Singkaneti said that the prime minister should now focus on existing laws, saying they need to be better defined so the authorities know what they can and cannot do.
“In the long run, possession of e-cigarettes should be clearly prohibited by law so that the police will have no excuse not to pursue legal action,” he said.
He said government officials should also be held responsible if sales of e-cigarettes are found in the areas under their supervision.
According to the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, the number of e-cigarettes seized has steadily increased, from 27,000 in 2020 to 100,000 last year.