By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Ban under pressure: E-cigarette use in Thailand jumped from 79,000 to 900,00 users (2021–2024) despite a total ban.
- Illicit growth: Critics argue that prohibition has driven the market underground, reducing safety measures.
- Policy debate: Industry and consumer groups are pushing for a move toward regulated legalization.
Thailand’s longstanding ban on e-cigarettes faces renewed scrutiny as recent data shows usage rising sharply despite over a decade of prohibition.
A network of e-cigarette users is urging the government to review the policy, citing figures from the National Statistical Office that show the number of users grew from 78,742 in 2021 to about 900,000 in 2024. That’s more than an 11-fold increase under a complete ban.
“If the ban policy really worked, the number of users should fall, not rise into the hundreds of thousands under strict law enforcement,” said Asa Saligupta, a network representative and former member of a parliamentary committee on e-cigarette regulation. He added that total users could now exceed 2 million nationwide.
Thailand has some of the strictest e-cigarette laws in the region. The import, sale, and possession of vaping products are illegal, with enforcement carried out by multiple agencies, including customs and police.
But critics say enforcement alone isn’t working. “When everything is pushed into illegality, the state is left with only suppression measures,” Asa said, pointing to ongoing seizures and arrests that have failed to curb demand.
Authorities have increased crackdowns, including shutting down thousands of online sales sites and setting up public tip-off systems that reward informants with a portion of fines. Still, officials admit that smuggled goods continue to flood the market daily, surpassing enforcement efforts.
“The illegal e-cigarette market increases public health risks because the state cannot properly verify sources or check product standards,” the group said.
A previous parliamentary study reportedly outlined multiple policy options, with the most supported approach being to legalize and strictly regulate e-cigarettes. For now, the ban remains in place.
