tobacco
- Phuket News
Phuket hookah bar raided in ongoing clampdown on illicit tobacco trade
In the bustling city of Phuket, a hookah bar in Cherng Talay was stormed by a team of ten officials from the Thalang District. Following the crackdown on the illicit tobacco trade, authorities have apprehended and charged the venue operator involved in the illegal activity. The operation was initiated late into the night at 11.09pm on Friday, February 16. This…
- Business News
Taxing choices: Thai Excise Department ponders single rate or weighty decision for cigarettes
Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Excise Department Director-General, announced that the department is deliberating over whether to implement a single tax rate or a weight-based tax for cigarettes. Currently, the tax structure is a two-tier system, with a 25% tax applied to cigarette packs retailing at up to 72 baht (US$2), aimed at reducing the impact on low-income individuals. Packs costing more than…
- Crime News
Tobacco smuggling: Thai task force apprehends smuggler in 2 million baht contraband case
In a determined pursuit, Thailand’s anti-smuggling task force apprehended a significant fugitive from the south involved in a tobacco smuggling case. The arrest came after they confiscated 19 crates of smuggled cigarettes worth approximately 2 million baht. Police Major General Montri Thetkhan yesterday led the operation along with the team, intercepting a 43 years old suspect named Tiwa, implicated in…
- Thailand News
Plant-based immunotherapy: Thai scientists derive anti cancer antibodies from tobacco
In a groundbreaking plant-based immunotherapy development in the field of oncology, a start-up pharmaceutical firm in Thailand, Baiya Phytopharm, proclaimed the successful creation of anti-cancer antibodies derived from tobacco plants. The company announced these results in the wake of effectively conducting experiential trials on lab animals. Operating under the umbrella of Chulalongkorn University, Baiya Phytopharm is recognised for its accomplishments…
- Health
New Zealand passes law to prevent future generations from buying tobacco
New Zealand has passed a law that prevents future generations from buying tobacco. The particular ban on purchasing tobacco is just one law that is part of the country’s new cluster of regulations that focus on curbing smoking. The law passed in Parliament yesterday and is now considered one of the strictest measures taken against buying tobacco in the world.…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok to impose tobacco tax for the first time
Bangkok is planning to introduce a tobacco tax of up to 10 satang per cigarette, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (there are 100 satang in a Thai baht). The BMA announced this week that this will be the first time Bangkok will impose a tax on tobacco, which will push the price of cigarettes up by 1.86 baht per…
- Crime News
Four suspects allegedly smuggled fake tobacco in Chanthaburi
Officials seized 83,154 packs of fake tobacco worth more than 10 million baht from four suspects in Chanthaburi yesterday. A police investigation found they smuggled the tobacco via the Ban Laem Immigration Checkpoint in Pong Nam Ron district, and sold the tobacco online. Two of the suspects were charged with allegedly selling fake tobacco, while the other two were charged…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Update | Test & Go Improvements, Live Chat Function Added
In the wake of lower-than-expected take up of the revised Test and Go program in the Thailand Pass, the Thai PM has made direct orders for quick improvements in the reliability of the digital systemApplicants have been complaining about delays, receiving spam and hacked emails. Now a new entry pathway called TPHS has now been approved and promises to cut…
- Thailand News
New tax to raise cigarette prices by around 8 baht per pack
Packs of cigarettes are going to get a little more expensive. The Thai Cabinet just approved a new excise tax structure for cigarettes. Retail prices for a pack are expected to rise by 6 to 8 baht. The Finance Minister says the new tax structure is expected to go into effect on Friday, but it still needs to be published…
- Covid-19 News
Second locally produced Covid-19 vaccine proves effective in monkey trials
A doctor at Chulalongkorn University yesterday announced that announced tests of a new locally produced Covid-19 vaccine on monkeys have proven successful. The head of the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Disease Health Science Centre, Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, says the latest vaccine, which uses proteins from tobacco leaves, was been tested on mice and monkeys with satisfactory results and will…
- Thailand News
Anti-alternative tobacco report slammed by experts
A recent report titled “Today’s Teens, Tomorrow’s Customers” published by Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance is being slammed by the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates and global health experts, who have dismissed it as “naïve” and “harmful.” Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s executive director, described the report as a product of perception by a group that is funded by…
- Health
Could cannabis cigarettes be available in your local convenience store?
Thailand’s Tobacco Authority is continuing to lobby for a license for the production of cannabis-based cigarettes but has a few legal, and moral, hoops to climb through before anything happens. Using the ‘health benefits’ argument, the Thai tobacco industry is hoping it can get the go ahead to manufacture cannabis-based cigarettes which could, if given permission, be as available in…
