Alcohol act revamp: Thailand raises the bar on booze ads
The Thai Cabinet agreed to revise the Alcohol Beverage Control Act, allowing businesses to advertise their alcohol products and enabling the public to share pictures and videos of alcoholic beverages without legal punishment.
The draft of the revised Alcohol Beverage Control Act was discussed during the Cabinet meeting yesterday, March 19.
At the end of the meeting, 365 Parliament members agreed with the revision, two disagreed, and five members were absent. This led to the content of the new draft being officially and legally enacted.
The most significant aspect of the act is Section 32, which states that individuals and business operators must refrain from advertising alcoholic beverages or displaying a name or symbol of an alcoholic beverage in a way that directly or indirectly boasts about its properties or encourages others to drink. Violating the law will result in a fine of 5,000 baht.
Previously, a Thai man, Arthit Suwahansaphan, revealed to ThaiRath that he faced a fine of 150,000 baht for writing a review of alcoholic beverages on his Facebook page.
Arthit initially faced a fine of 50,000 baht but refused to pay it, believing he should not be penalised for expressing his opinions about the beverage he consumed. His refusal led to further complications, resulting in a larger fine.
A member of the People’s Party, Padipat Suntiphada, who was the Vice President of Parliament at the time, also faced a 50,000-baht fine for sharing a picture of himself holding a can of beer on Facebook.
According to ThaiRath, some restaurants and entertainment venues were previously fined for using tissue boxes displaying logos and alcohol brands.
Major alcoholic beverage distributors in Thailand opted to advertise their soda or other non-alcoholic beverages to build brand awareness or to organise events and campaigns that indirectly promote their brands.
However, small breweries, especially those producing craft alcoholic beverages, may not be able to afford large events or campaigns to promote their products. They also faced challenges in sharing product details on social media platforms.
Accordingly, the revision of Section 32 of the act is crucial for the growth of small businesses and will offer consumers more choices.
Nevertheless, advertisements or promotions of alcoholic beverages must not encourage people to drink alcohol or make exaggerated claims about their properties.
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