News on August 31st, according to the Bangkok Post, although the Thai government seems to have relaxed its regulation on the legalization of marijuana, they have only reiterated their stance on banning e-cigarettes.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul doubled down on the ban, saying e-cigarettes pose significant health risks, especially for young people who make up more than half of all e-cigarette consumers.

Speaking on cigarettes and public health at a national conference in Bangkok yesterday, Anutin cited a survey by Thailand's National Statistics Office last year which showed that 80,000 people in Thailand now use e-cigarettes, more than half of whom are Between 15 and 18 years old.

"This clearly shows that vaping creates new smokers, especially young people, and a growing body of international research is finding that vaping has negative effects on the brains of young people."

The public health minister referred to the statistics in his re-commitment to Thailand to implement an e-cigarette ban, saying the country had learned lessons from observing other countries. He said that the most effective way to reduce e-cigarettes in China is to ban the import of e-cigarettes and actively crack down on cross-border illegal smuggling of e-cigarettes to avoid the growing black market.

A big problem with vaping is that it gives the impression that it is more casual and less dangerous than smoking real cigarettes, which many young people may perceive as minimal harm.

The director of the Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management said that was simply not true.

From brain, liver, respiratory and skin diseases to oral and dental problems, and even blood vessel and heart problems, a variety of ailments have been linked to vaping. The painful data was collected in 6,971 studies worldwide between 2014 and 2021.

Authorities have warned that e-cigarettes can be as harmful as traditional cigarettes, and in some cases more harmful.

The American Heart Association says vaping increases the risk of asthma by 39 percent and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 49 percent, as well as a 1.8-fold increased risk of ischemic heart disease. The World Health Organization warns that e-cigarettes contain several toxic chemicals, not just nicotine, which can already block blood flow by constricting blood vessels.

Typically, the younger a person is exposed to the toxic chemicals and dangers of e-cigarettes, the more harmful they are. Brain development can be reduced three to four times, and vaping in pregnant women can lead to low birth weight, neurological abnormalities and hyperactivity.