wowpow
June 1st, 2006, 09:55
Thailand leads the way on No Smoking Day
By Suzanne Nam 1 June 2006 01:36 Thaiday IHT
"The Thai government is among the most determined in the region in its attempts to stamp out smoking, according to the World Health Organization.
тАЬI can only speak in comparison to the other member countries in this region, but Thailand could certainly be the country whose government is most aggressively trying to control smoking,тАЭ said Narin Tima, a spokesman for WHO Southeast Asia, on the occasion ofтАЬWorld No Smoking DayтАЭ yesterday. The regional office covers Bangladesh, Bhutan, North Korea, India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and East Timor.
Aside from graphic pictures on cigarette packs, ThailandтАЩs anti-smoking policies include a smoking ban in most public places, a prohibition on advertising or displaying cigarettes in retail outlets, and significant excise duty on tobacco products.
These stringent measures have led to a 20- to 30-percent decline in cigarette sales from last year, according to industry groups and the Health Ministry. The significant drop in cigarette sales has surprised international public health officials because Southeast Asia has long been regarded a high-growth region by the tobacco industry. тАЬMost of the anti-smoking campaigns in Thailand are very well supported by the government,тАЭ said Narin.
Although Thailand has tough regulations on cigarettes, cigarette manufacturers such as Philip Morris say the country should regulate loose tobacco just as strictly. Dr Yumiko Mochizuki-Kobaya-shi, director of WHOтАЩs Tobacco Free Initiative, stressed the urgent need to implement stricter regulations on all tobacco products.
тАЬWe are faced with a unique public health challenge as many tobacco products remain unregulated,тАЭ she said. тАЬTobacco can kill in any guise, regardless of whether you smoke it, chew it or inhale it through a water pipe, and that is why all products containing tobacco need to be regulated immediately.тАЭ
Despite efforts to eradicate smoking in the kingdom, some 142 people die each day тАУ more than 50,000 a year тАУ from smoking-related diseases, according to the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation, or ASH, Thailand."
By Suzanne Nam 1 June 2006 01:36 Thaiday IHT
"The Thai government is among the most determined in the region in its attempts to stamp out smoking, according to the World Health Organization.
тАЬI can only speak in comparison to the other member countries in this region, but Thailand could certainly be the country whose government is most aggressively trying to control smoking,тАЭ said Narin Tima, a spokesman for WHO Southeast Asia, on the occasion ofтАЬWorld No Smoking DayтАЭ yesterday. The regional office covers Bangladesh, Bhutan, North Korea, India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and East Timor.
Aside from graphic pictures on cigarette packs, ThailandтАЩs anti-smoking policies include a smoking ban in most public places, a prohibition on advertising or displaying cigarettes in retail outlets, and significant excise duty on tobacco products.
These stringent measures have led to a 20- to 30-percent decline in cigarette sales from last year, according to industry groups and the Health Ministry. The significant drop in cigarette sales has surprised international public health officials because Southeast Asia has long been regarded a high-growth region by the tobacco industry. тАЬMost of the anti-smoking campaigns in Thailand are very well supported by the government,тАЭ said Narin.
Although Thailand has tough regulations on cigarettes, cigarette manufacturers such as Philip Morris say the country should regulate loose tobacco just as strictly. Dr Yumiko Mochizuki-Kobaya-shi, director of WHOтАЩs Tobacco Free Initiative, stressed the urgent need to implement stricter regulations on all tobacco products.
тАЬWe are faced with a unique public health challenge as many tobacco products remain unregulated,тАЭ she said. тАЬTobacco can kill in any guise, regardless of whether you smoke it, chew it or inhale it through a water pipe, and that is why all products containing tobacco need to be regulated immediately.тАЭ
Despite efforts to eradicate smoking in the kingdom, some 142 people die each day тАУ more than 50,000 a year тАУ from smoking-related diseases, according to the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation, or ASH, Thailand."