Dr. Weerapan and Sakolthee warn of a severe e-cigarette epidemic among Thai youth, reaching 1.7 million users, including more than 400,000 aged 10-19. They highlight the risk of lung disease and cancer, emphasizing that the more you smoke, the more it leads to a slow death. They urge the government to strictly enforce the law.
On 30 May 2026 at the Parliament, Mr. Sakolthee Pattiyakul, Chairman of the Public Health Committee of the House of Representatives, invited the public to quit smoking and e-cigarettes in observance of World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. He expressed concern over the easy access youth now have to cigarettes and e-cigarettes. He explained that the danger of smoking lies in its cumulative harm—not immediate effects from a few days of smoking, but toxins gradually build up in the body and cause severe damage in middle or old age. He supports the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) working with partners to continuously raise awareness so that especially young people understand the risks. Some youth might view smoking as trendy or a social tool, but in reality, it severely harms long-term health. He stressed, “Smoking is a slow, cumulative death,” also affecting others exposed unknowingly to secondhand smoke.
Mr. Sakolthee added that Thailand already has sufficient laws to control and prevent smoking problems, but the main issue is weak and insincere law enforcement. He said government agencies and officials must tighten and seriously enforce these laws. He also suggested reviewing and updating certain legal provisions to keep pace with rapidly evolving addictive substances and e-cigarette products.
Meanwhile, Dr. Weerapan Suwannamai, Vice Chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee, said tobacco and e-cigarettes are becoming a worrying public health crisis. Recent studies show 1.7 million Thais aged 10 and above use e-cigarettes, a rise of over one million from about 700,000 five years ago, with more than 73% under 30 years old. Among them, 400,000 youths aged 10-19 vape, and over 51% are new smokers in the past year. He emphasized that neither cigarettes nor e-cigarettes have health benefits. E-cigarettes may be even more dangerous because they can contain chemicals that cause lung disease and cancer. As a legislator, he supports strict control of importation, sales, and law enforcement to protect Thai children and youth from nicotine hazards.
Dr. Weerapan further stated that Thailand’s main problem is not a lack of laws but insufficient enforcement, despite bans on importing and selling e-cigarettes. He opposes legalizing e-cigarettes and proposes harsher penalties. At the same time, he supports ThaiHealth and partners in anti-smoking campaigns targeting youth via social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. Schools must strictly prevent sales or smoking near educational institutions. He warned that nicotine is a harmful addictive substance with no health benefits that stimulates addiction in the brain. He urged everyone to spread the message: “Don’t try” cigarettes or e-cigarettes because they are all harmful to health.
Simultaneously, the Secretariat of the House of Representatives, together with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the Foundation for a Smoke-Free Society, organized a campaign for World No Tobacco Day on 31 May 2026 titled “Stop Youth from Addictive Drugs #NicotineAddictionKills” at the Parliament building’s first floor. Parliament members, including Ms. Kandi Liao-Pairoj, a party-list MP from the Democrat Party, and Mr. Naret Prachakhorn, a senator and chairman of the committee on political development, public participation, human rights, freedoms, and consumer protection, joined in writing messages encouraging people not to smoke or vape. The event aimed to remind parliamentary personnel—including MPs, senators, civil servants, media, and the public—about the dangers of tobacco and e-cigarettes. It focused on raising awareness of the harms and toxicity of all tobacco products, especially the dangers of nicotine, a highly addictive poison that can lead to the use of other drugs. New nicotine products like e-cigarettes are rapidly increasing because they are designed for easy use and widely available online.