The chairman of the Special Committee for the Supervision of vape legislation in Thailand has recommended that vapes and heated tobacco products be regarded as illegal products and proposed legislative measures to completely ban vapes. In order to facilitate the implementation of the law, the relevant report will be submitted to Congress.
Thailand’s vape committee publishes legislative report: proposing a total ban on e-cigarettes
Bangkokbiz News reported on December 26, Thailand is Niyom Wiwattanaditkul, the Thai Party of Pau MP and chairman of the vape Legislation and Regulation Special Committee (Niyom Wiwattanaditkul) on the vape legal and regulatory measures research and review results report together with the members of the committee.
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The lawmaker noted that the committee began its work on September 27, 2023. After in-depth consideration, the relevant report was finally completed on December 26. The review process takes a long time due to the large amount of data and information involved. To ensure a comprehensive review, the committee set up several subcommittees to study the improvement and improvement of the vape management law, and made three recommendations:
- Make vapes and all heated tobacco products illegal. It is proposed to amend the Customs Act 2017 to explicitly ban the import of vapes into Thailand and make possession of vapes illegal. At the same time, it is proposed to amend the 2014 announcement of the Ministry of Commerce to prohibit the import of electronic cigarettes, water pipes, and electronic water pipes, and to ensure legal clarity by clarifying the tariff definition.
- The vape brand will be included in the scope of current legal supervision. Revise the 2017 Customs Law and the 2014 Announcement of the Ministry of Commerce to ensure strict control of electronic cigarettes and related products. At the same time, it is recommended to prohibit the production, sale, and use of vapes and their supplementary liquids in accordance with the 2017 Product Safety Commission Order 24/2567.
- Pass comprehensive legislation to completely ban the use of vapes. New laws are proposed to make vapes illegal, covering their production, import, sale, advertising, marketing, ownership, and use.
The recommendations of the report will be put to a vote
The committee also recommended the adoption of the Tobacco Products Control Act 2017 to control the import, advertising, and use of vapes, and quality control of vape devices and non-nicotine components in conjunction with the Industrial Product Standards Act.
Nyom concluded that the commission’s report was ready for submission to Congress, but that Congress would only vote on the commission’s opinion, not directly on its contents. For further implementation, the recommendations will be submitted to the Cabinet.
