Ministry to ban hookah, e-cigarettes

Ministry to ban hookah, e-cigarettes

Crackdown comes amid health concerns about vapour smokes

The Commerce Ministry plans to invoke a ministerial regulation to stop the import of Middle Eastern-style hookah pipes, a device to smoke tobacco, baraku or shisha, and e-cigarettes following the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s policy to control them.

A woman smokes a baraku at a pub along Phra Arthit Road in Phra Nakhon district. National Council for Peace and Order chief and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is concerned about the popularity of baraku among teens and is urging authorities to ban the import of the pipes. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

The smoking devices have become popular among teenagers, who commonly use them at entertainment venues.

The issue has prompted Prime Minister and NCPO chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha to call on state agencies to seek out measures to curb them.

The ministry’s Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) wants to attach the ministerial regulation to the Export and Import of Goods Act to stop the entry of such smoking devices.

Citing research by the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Disease Control (DDC), DFT deputy director-general Parnjit Pisawong said the study found smoking baraku, electric baraku and e-cigarettes are harmful.

Although liquids from fermented fruits are used to fill the baraku, the burning process could lead to illness similar to that inflicted by cigarettes, she said.

“Baraku, electric baraku and e-cigarettes are popular among the young, particularly baraku,” Ms Parnjit said.

They should be put in the same category as other smoking products when officials consider how to regulate them, the DFT deputy chief suggested.

Ms Parnjit said the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) is seeking legal ways to cope with the spread of the smoking devices.

Talking about the health impact of e-cigarettes, DDC deputy director-general Nopporn Cheanklin said the vapour from chemicals, ignited by electricity, contains small particles of metal, which can cause cancer. There are two groups of e-cigarettes: ones with nicotine, a substance which can harm the heart, and ones without.

He said e-cigarettes without nicotine could present regulatory problems as they may not fit the definition of tobacco under the Public Health Ministry’s Non-smokers Health Protection Act and the Excise Department’s Tobacco Act.

As a result, the Commerce Ministry has been asked to step in.

Dr Nopporn said nicotine could be added to e-cigarettes after inspection, making enforcement by the Customs Department difficult.

Because control is hard to accomplish, he said the import of all e-cigarettes must be banned. More than 20 countries have banned the import and sale of e-cigarettes, he said. Dr Nopporn said online advertisements suggesting e-cigarette can help smokers quit create misunderstandings among the public. Several other products, including gum and patches, exist to help them reduce smoking.

Excise Department chief Somchai Poonsawat, meanwhile, has ordered his officials to examine entertainment venues which serve baraku to their customers, particular ones close to universities.

The venues are prohibited from selling such smoking tools under the Tobacco Act. Officials can seize the devices, and venue owners could have their permits revoked.

According to Pol Gen Pongsapat, baraku could be more hazardous than traditional cigarettes because it contains higher amounts of tar and nicotine.

He said baraku is about six times more harmful than a cigarette.

Although smokers inhale vapour from liquid mixed with a fruit smell, which reduces the intensity of the smoke, this only means smokers can consume larger amounts, he said.

“Smokers inhaling vapour from baraku for 45 minutes may consumed 36 times the tar, 15 times the carbon monoxide and 70 times more nicotine than they get from one cigarette,” Pol Gen Pongsapat said.

The baraku and its ingredients are imported and sold on websites, he said.

The ingredients cost about 1,200 baht per kilogramme.

Smoking baraku is not illegal, except in prohibited zones, in which smokers would be fined up to 2,000 baht in line with the Non-smokers Health Protection Act, he said.

They also risk facing a one-month jail term for causing disturbance to others under the Public Health Act.

Pol Gen Pongsapat said vendors hoping to sell baraku must obtain a permit, and the imported products must have labels on their packages. Violators be fined up to 100,000 baht.

Hookah pipes and ingredients can be brought into the country for personal use, he said.

The ingredients are limited to 500g a person.

But because of the spread of baraku among youngsters, NCPO chief and Prime Minister Gen Prayuth wants authorities to bring it under tight control, he said.

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