A new law has been introduced to try and discourage young people from smoking.
Under the new Tobacco Control bill, anyone who sells cigarettes to under-age teenagers could be jailed for three months or fined up to Bt30,000 or both.
The new law also stipulates that people who sell cigarettes must be at least 18 years old and each cigarette pack must contain 20 cigarettes, prohibiting the sale of individual cigarettes.
The regulations, which are intended to discourage new smokers, particularly teenagers, also bans online sales of cigarettes, which can now only be sold in a specified location licensed by authorities.
The new law also includes any products that contain nicotine substances, including baraku and electronic cigarettes. A committee will be set up, chaired by the minister of public health, which will supervise cigarette production.
It will look into the implementation of the legislation and monitor the impact of cigarette consumption on the health of people.
There are an estimated 11 million smokers in Thailand and 50,000 deaths are attributed to smoking each year.
(Source:The Nation,Thailand)