The Government is taking serious and urgent action to crack down on the use, illegal import, and sale of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, especially in areas surrounding educational institutions. 

Concerned over the current e-cigarette situation following reports of widespread e-cigarette sales, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra ordered relevant officials to urgently bring the problem under control. A 30-day deadline has been set for concrete results of the crackdown.

Previously, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Interior, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, the Royal Thai Police, and other agencies concerned were assigned to tackle this problem, particularly through strict law enforcement. 

The Prime Minister also instructed Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office Jiraporn Sindhuprai to hold meetings with all relevant agencies in order to accelerate operations against vaping products and to report progress of the operations to the Prime Minister within 15 days.

Ms. Jiraporn on 27 February invited 17 relevant agencies for a meeting to discuss efforts to stop e-cigarette smuggling. The meeting worked out three plans to deal effectively with the issue. The first one, the immediate plan, focuses on strict border controls to suppress the smuggling of e-cigarettes.

The second plan involves public relations campaigns to raise the public’s awareness about the dangers of e-cigarettes, especially among schoolchildren, teachers, and parents. The Ministry of Education will serve as the core agency, working with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Ministry of Public Health, the Government Public Relations Department, and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, to educate people about the legal and health risks associated with e-cigarettes.

In the third plan, related laws will be improved to solve this problem on the long-term basis. Heavier penalties must be imposed and officials must work with greater efficiency to prevent and suppress the spread of e-cigarettes.

Today people who sell or distribute e-cigarettes will face imprisonment of up to three years, or a fine of up to 600,000 baht, or both. Importers will be subject to a prison sentence of up to 10 years, or a fine amounting to five times the value of the goods, or both.