BANGKOK, 3 Dec 2014 – The Thai Tobacco Association (TTA) yesterday proposed that the Government review the new Tobacco Bill, saying the draft legislation went too far from the original purpose of protecting consumers’ health.
The call was made at a forum on the new Tobacco Bill after its content has recently been released through media outlets.
Chairperson of the TTA Warapon Namart stated that the bill stipulates too many restrictions, such as the clause that bans the selling of individual cigarette, another clause that defines the age of vendors and other clauses that add complications and financial burden to business management and production cost. She also said the clause requiring all cigarette packages to be in plain white would encourage counterfeit products.
Ms. Warapon suggested stricter enforcement of the existing law rather than imposing the new ones which the TTA deems would do more harm than good to 500,000 small-scale vendors nationwide.
