E-cigarettes are banned in Thailand, even for tourists
Thailand is well known for its tourism industry (more than 32 millions of people have visited the country in 2016) and is often said to be a dream vacation. But for vaping tourists, that’s a totally different story! Indeed, a traveller’s experience was recently relayed by the website Travel Weekly and reminded us all of the very repressive legislation the country has regarding the use of electronic cigarettes. Vapers face jail time and fines: vaping tourists should be aware of this fact and act prudently.
Over the past few years, several British tourists have been arrested during their vacation in this large South-East Asia country. And for what crime? They had their e-cigarette with them, which is totally forbidden on Thai soil. According to Pat Waterton, a travel agent from the UK, his nephew used his vaping device in a street on Bangkok, and was facing jail time, a proof of the harshness of the local legislation as far as vaping is concerned. The sentence was finally transformed in a 150-dollar fine.
Since December 2014, a law bans the import, the sale and the production of electronic cigarettes in Thailand, but also their use. In the worst case scenario for the import, sales or production of e-cigarettes, the sentence can be up to 10 years of prison. E-cigarette users face up to 5 years of jail as well as a fine of up to 4 times the device’s value. If the law is well-known, tourists tend to forget about it and then face heavy fines during their stay.
To avoid any risk, we strongly advise vaping tourists travelling to Thailand to leave their vaping device and e-liquids behind.
