Bangkok (VNA) - Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered officials to intensify the suppression of e-cigarettes and amend the law to toughen punishments amid a teen vaping crisis.
The order followed a briefing on e-cigarette use nationwide and its negative impacts on young people, Government spokesman Jirayu Huangsub said.
The stepped-up action is also a response to an outpouring of public concern over the case of three Buri Ram schoolgirls who have been in hospital for a week with severe lung complications caused by vaping.
Jirayu said the huge seizure and the negative impacts of vaping on young children, and the rise of cheap “toy pod” products easily available in shops near schools, showed that e-cigarettes were widespread among young people and police were not doing enough to control the products.
The PM had earlier called for a crackdown on the illegal import and sale of vaping products but it had not been effective and the problem was escalating, he added.
According to the spokesman, Paetongtarn ordered all organisations concerned to further intensify suppression, expand arrests and work out long-term and effective solutions,
A team studying the vaping situation in the country found that products are available at thousands of shops on streets in major cities and tourist provinces, and their market value is estimated at over 5 billion THB (150 million USD) a year./.
Thailand warns against toy-shaped vape
Thai Academics are warning about a new type of e-cigarette called "toy pods" which look like replicas of popular cartoon characters to target school and university students.
