Reaffirming the government’s stance against e-cigarettes, Thailand’s Minister of Public Health directed ThaiHealth to coordinate efforts with relevant agencies to address existing gaps and raise awareness on e-cigarettes in order to protect Thai youth and children.
Somsak Directs ThaiHealth to Raise Awareness on E-Cigarettes to Protect Children and Youth
Reaffirming the government’s stance against e-cigarettes, Somsak has assigned ThaiHealth to coordinate efforts with relevant agencies to address existing gaps. He expresses concerns over the deadly risks of “pod k” and approves the Centre for Alcohol Studies’ plan to advance knowledge, reshape societal values, and promote alcohol-free events.
On February 27, 2025, at the ThaiHealth Center, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), Mr. Somsak Thepsutin, Minister of Public Health and First Deputy Chairman of ThaiHealth, stated at the second board meeting of the year that the board approved the Centre for Alcohol Studies’ plan, focusing on enhancing capacity among personnel and expert networks and developing knowledge to advance various policies. Key policies include developing and enforcing the laws controlling the alcohol production and distribution by small-scale manufacturers, assessing the policy impact of major alcohol producers, promoting responsible behavior among youth and women, implementing alcohol-free policies for government events, improving access to alcohol cessation services, and supporting research and knowledge creation to push for practical and effective solutions to alcohol-related issues.
“Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government prioritizes the issue of e-cigarettes, which have been prevalent among children and youth. The Prime Minister has ordered relevant agencies to implement stringent measures within 30 days. The directive enforces a ban on e-cigarette sales to minors near schools and strict enforcement against importers and distributors. I have realized that there have been many challenges in enforcement, and government agencies have not yet been stringent. So, I urge ThaiHealth to collaborate with its partners in raising awareness about the dangers of e-cigarettes among children. A particular concern is “pod k”—an emerging form of drug abuse where e-cigarettes are laced with ketamine for hallucinogenic effects through inhalation or vaping. Equally alarming is Zombie Cigarettes, which contain etomidate, a medical anesthetic that can cause extreme drowsiness, slow breathing, low blood pressure, nausea, unconsciousness, and even death,” said Mr. Somsak.
Additionally, Dr. Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon, M.D., CEO of ThaiHealth, identified smoking as the leading health threat based on the data on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) or premature deaths among Thais in 2019. Research highlights that e-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals that affect brain development, resulting in risks of attention deficits, learning difficulties, mood disorders. Moreover, long-term use of e-cigarettes has been linked to pneumonia and lung cancer. Contrary to claims, e-cigarettes do not aid in quitting traditional smoking but instead increase the risk of nicotine addiction and dependency on other substances. To address this issue, ThaiHealth has worked closely with its partners and multi-sectoral agencies to raise public awareness about the dangers of e-cigarettes to protect children and youth from e-cigarette addiction. At the same time, the agency is educating the public about the impacts of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through the NubCarb campaign, along with physical activity, through www.nubcarb.com. This campaign is aimed at driving behavioral change, reducing carbohydrate consumption, and decreasing mortality rates from NCDs.
Source: Health Promotion News Agency via https://www.thaihealth.or.th/?p=382902
