Cigarette buying age in Thailand raised to 20
New rules aim to cut the number of teenage smokers picking up the habit
A toughened tobacco control law takes effect in Thailand Today, raising the legal age to buy cigarettes to 20 and barring tobacco firms from indirect advertisements via corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.
Welcoming the amended law regulating tobacco consumption, Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said yesterday the 2017 Tobacco Control Act was designed to cut the number of teenage smokers while protecting non-smokers’ health.
The stricter law was necessary to keep children from picking up the habit because tobacco firms had come up with sophisticated marketing strategies to entice young smokers, he said.
Dr Piyasakol said the amended law was also intended to protect the health of non-smokers.
Moreover, the government is obliged to follow the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, he said. Under the framework, any law associated with tobacco must be amended to protect the health of citizens, particularly young people.
He said tobacco consumption poses major health problems and is a leading cause of illnesses and premature deaths, adding that over 50,000 people die yearly due to smoking-induced illnesses incurring economic losses estimated at 74.8 billion baht (US$2.2 billion).