E-cigarettes could become legal in Thailand if a senior cabinet minster gets his way.
Digital Economy and Society minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn said Thais need to move with the times and modern technology
He said that 67 countries around the world had accepted electronic cigarettes.
Some of them are big ones like the US and China.
Even Malaysia allows them, reported Thai Rath.
The minister said that the devices have far fewer harmful effects than regular cigarettes and can be a useful tool in getting people off them.
He pointed out that campaigns in Thailand to get people to quit were having a limited effect - 10 million still lit up.
E-cigarettes could help people who can't quit because they are less harmful.
He plans to look at aspects of the law to see why Thailand forbids them.
ASEAN NOW notes that the sale of E-cigarettes is quite open in Thailand even though they are illegal.
However, from time to time there are crackdowns on vendors and jail terms await those who sell them
Importers could be jailed for up to 5 years.
Though it is unlikely individual users would be arrested many people have pointed to Thailand lagging behind the rest of the world on the matter.
Countries like the UK have embraced the devices with vaping shops in many high streets now a common aspect of daily life.
Source - ASIAN NOW
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