While the government seems to have loosened up in regulation for legalising cannabis they’ve just reiterated its position banning e-cigarettes and vaping. Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul doubled down on the ban, saying that vaping poses a major health risk, especially to young people who account for more than half of all e-cigarette consumers.
Anutin spoke at a national conference in Bangkok yesterday addressing cigarettes and public health, citing a survey last year by the National Statistical Office of Thailand that said that, of the 80,000 people vaping in Thailand now, more than half were between the ages of 15 and 24.
“This clearly showed vaping has created new smokers, especially young people, while a growing number of international studies found smoking e-cigarettes has negative effects on young people’s brains.”
The Public Health Minister referred to these statistics when recommitting Thailand to the e-cigarette ban saying that Thailand has learned from observing other countries. He said that the most effective way to cut down on vaping in the country is to ban the import of e-cigarettes and actively fight to stop the illegal smuggling of e-cigarettes across borders to avoid a growing black market.
One big problem with vaping is that it gives the impression that it’s more casual and less dangerous than smoking actual cigarettes, with many youth likely believing that there’s very little harm in smoking e-cigarettes. The director of Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Centre says that this simply isn’t true.
Myriad ailments ranging from diseases of the brain, liver, respiratory system, and skin to oral and dental problems, and even problems with blood vessels and the heart have all been connected with vaping. The data on these afflictions were collected between 2014 and 2021 throughout 6,971 studies worldwide.
Authorities warn e-cigarettes can be just as harmful, and in some cases more hurtful, the traditional cigarettes. The American Heart Association says that vaping carries a 39% higher risk of asthma and 49% higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as a 1.8-fold increase in the risk of ischemic heart disease. The World Health Organisation warns that e-cigarettes contain several toxic chemicals, not just nicotine that already can obstruct blood flow by contracting blood vessels.
As is often the case, the younger people are when exposed to the toxic chemicals and dangers of e-cigarettes, the more harmful they can be. Brain development can be decreased by three to four times, and vaping in pregnant women can cause low birth weight, irregularities with the nervous system, and ADHD.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post