THB5,000 fine for cigarette stalls without quit smoking signs
Cigarette stalls lacking quit-smoking signs to be fined 5,000 baht from Wednesday
From Wednesday, August 21, retailers of cigarettes and tobacco nationwide are required to put up signs urging people to cut down on or quit smoking.
Sellers who do not put up the signs at their stalls will be fined at up to 5,000 baht, Dr Thongchai Keratihuttayakorn, director general of the Department of Disease Control, said on Tuesday.
The new mandate is part of the 2023 Public Health Ministerial Regulation on Campaigns to Reduce Smoking at Retailers of Tobacco Products, which will come into effect Wednesday, he said.
Thongchai said the quit-smoking sign must be at least 7 centimetres high and 21cm wide, and must be clearly visible at the stall throughout its opening hours.
More than one sign can be put up, he added.
Those who fail to display the sign as required are considered to be violating the Tobacco Products Control Act of 2017, punishable by a maximum fine of 5,000 baht, he said.
The director general added that retailers can download an example of eligible quit-smoking signs at the website https://ddc.moph.go.th/otpc/ or request one at Provincial Excise Offices nationwide.
In the example provided by the department, the sign reads “Quit smoking now for your loved ones,” followed by the number of quit-smoking hotline 1600.
