Can You Vape or Use E-Cigs in Thailand?—A Guide

The short answer to the above (can you vape or use E-cigs in Thailand?) is that anyone intending on travelling to Thailand should keep in mind that these devices and their use are in fact illegal in the kingdom.

The ban has been in place since 2014 and the bottom line is that anyone found breaking this law in Thailand—using or in some cases even being in possession of one of these devices—could potentially be arrested and face fines or even jail time.

There have been numerous publicised incidents (and many unreported ones) fairly recently of foreign travellers unaware of the ban being hit with on-the-spot fines, or even in some cases being arrested. A few more somewhat extreme cases have even been reported, usually in super-tourist-hot-spots.

The government line is that the ban was introduced for health reasons along with the added inference that electronic cigarettes and other, easy-to-access devices were in fact luring young people into taking up the smoking habit.

Thus, travellers coming to Thailand who are aware of this law are not bringing any electronic cigarettes or similar devices with them, and this even includes the liquid used in them. 

What are Vaping and E-Cigs Anyway? 

The E-cig and other vaporising phenomena have been steadily creeping into the collective consciousness of tobacco smokers the world over, looking for alternatives and/or to aid them in their attempts at quitting the smoking habit completely.

The idea is that the known harmful effects of tobacco are replaced by instead inhaling a heated liquid that comes in a vast array of flavours. Many of the flavours are fruity-sounding and have been criticised for their possible attractiveness to minors.

The liquid is heated rapidly through a vaporising process that occurs in the device it is used with. Users report a smoother, more tasteful, and more aromatic alternative to tobacco. The only thing is, these devices and the liquids used with them are largely unregulated— thus no-one can really be sure about their ingredients or their safety.

What Does the Law in Thailand Say about it? 

The law says a big NOPE.

Vaping in Thailand remains illegal. E-cigarettes and the latest craze ‘vape bars’ (apparently big among Thai teens) are prohibited, as are the oils and any other type of liquid refills.  They have been banned since 2014, and like many things in Thailand there will likely be a few more complex, underlying connected issues than may be immediately apparent.

So rather than showing any signs of a softening regarding the laws related to the vaping issue (which remains much of a grey area for the majority of the Thai population), in 2022 the government instead reiterated its tough stance on any type of vaping or the equipment associated with it.

This comes in light of the legalisation of cannabis in Thailand—for (ahem) medical use—but let’s not get started on that one just yet though as it’s another post entirely! It also comes as a result of the vape bar craze following a flooding of the market with cheap, Chinese-made items that are easily-available online.

No-one really knows what is in them and there is no regulating body for such items. They are popular based on the tastes which often resemble fruity or bubblegum-type flavours. They resemble something akin to a cigarette lighter and contain a vape-able liquid in a disposable pen-type device. 

The Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has recently reaffirmed the ban on the import and use of e-cigarettes. He stated that e-cigarettes pose significant health risks to users and that vaping was helping to create new smokers particularly among young people in Thailand.  

Possible Penalties 

There are always various tiers of penalties in a country like Thailand, thus it pays royally to have done your homework on police, legalities, culture, and other such matters before setting out for the tropics. That said, it’s a tough one to know what’s best sometimes without the necessary experience to bolster it.

There are plenty that don’t or won’t heed the warnings and existing evidence and will thus be caught vaping (or even just with an e-cigarette device in their possession). This could (potentially) result in:

• A fine of up to 30,000 Baht (close to $1,000)
• A maximum jail sentence of 10 years.

These are not widely-advertised details but you will find warnings on Thai Embassy and government websites regarding not only the use but also the import and sale of these items.

Does this Mean that no-one Vapes in Thailand? 

Indeed not. Despite the seemingly strict rules and stance on it publicised locally, Thailand’s illegal e-cigarette and vaping market has in fact increased in dramatic ways in recent years.

Back in 2019 reports suggested its overall value at around 5 million baht, which is still comparatively small at less than 5% of tobacco industry profits in Thailand. It has long been commonly-used by people trying to quit regular tobacco although this is being done in increasingly subtle ways as more quality and experienced online stores with imported goods spring up alongside established ones.

And they are springing up constantly—demand here is huge.

The ‘hi-so’ set has long since latched-on to elaborate and expensive vaping devices often imported from abroad. Many of these devices are much more discreet to both use and carry, with much slimmer chances of being stopped by an inquisitive couple of young police officers on the lookout for lunch money.

The fact that this is actually in breach of the law on a number of levels actually escapes many tourists. This is likely to be especially true if they have spotted locals or other tourists indulging and like many before them, made the mistake of thinking this is the ‘Land of Smiles’ where pretty much anything goes without so much as a second thought.

There have been plenty of reports, through various channels, of tourists being caught vaping and getting fined. This in itself is nothing new and could just as easily occur for smoking in a non-designated area and/or disposing of a butt-end and being presented with a potential ‘fine’ by a ‘policeman.’

This debacle was once very common and is most likely to occur in a tourist area—which could easily be the outside of a mall. It usually strikes those who either haven’t done their homework, aren’t fully switched-on, or both.

What is the Likely Reaction from Police to Someone Who is Vaping? 

This will depend largely on the area you find yourself in and whom exactly you are dealing with. English-speaking police are still not that common in Thailand except perhaps in areas with heavy concentrations of tourists.

This means it isn’t actually that common for them to bother with foreigners, and thus if they do it could well be for reasons other than you having broken any law, whether wittingly or otherwise. Yet it does happen largely in tourist areas where the majority of reports come from—try doing a bit of digging and see when the last arrest of a Thai national took place for a similar offence.

Extreme Cases 

One example of a rather extreme case occurred in Phuket when a Frenchwoman was for some reason made an example of and forced to pay a fine in excess of 40,000 baht and then deported.

She later filed complaints for malpractice against the officers involved who she said tried bullying tactics to get her to the police station and pay a fine after confiscating her travel documents.

Similar reports have filtered through from Pattaya, another tourist resort where one might do well to exercise a little more diligence when anyone even looking like a police officer is surveying the proceedings. The best thing is definitely to remain calm and avoid any kind of argument. A show of naivety while staying respectful and confident may help any necessary negotiations.

Dealing with the Police in Thailand

If you do find yourself having any encounters with police in Thailand for any reason, the way you handle it will largely depend on how you feel at the time. There are various factors to immediately take into hand—like is there any possibility that you have actually committed some misdemeanour?

If you had done so unwittingly and the policeman was genuine enough in how he went about his affairs, the possibility of a verbal warning only is quite high.

Even then you would have to take into consideration whether the officer’s English language skills allowed him to even get close to this, and if they didn’t his confidence would unlikely be there to make a move with any ulterior motive. If they do, it’s good to keep in mind that this is in no way the norm in Thailand, and the police will largely leave foreigners alone due precisely to this.

It may not work for everyone and will depend on how you hold yourself, but I have personally found the confident and fearless approach to work best (knowing that age, financial clout, and ‘friends’ all trumps the law here in reality—so a bit of bluff-calling sometimes pays off) to be the most successful.

Panicking is not recommended in any way, shape, or form. Neither is any suggestion of being argumentative or condescending in any way here, just employing body language that says ‘I know what I am doing, I know who you are, and I neither trust nor fear any negative intentions that you may be seeking to exercise’.

Don’t forget this is the age of phones with visual and audio recording which can and should be utilised accordingly in any instance where a feeling that something wrongful is occurring.

Final Pointers 

Vaping and using E-cigs or any other type of vaping-type device is illegal in Thailand, and could thus make you the unwitting object of the wrong type of attention if you are unaware of this.

Yes, Thais do use these devices although they have become increasingly discreet. They also have much less chance of being arrested than a visitor does though, and to top that they have various ‘local’ methods of dealing with such situations that you may not be privy to.

There is a lot to be said for having done your homework in a country like Thailand, as well as taking various measures not to become a target. Any knowledge of current situations as they stand regarding matters such as this will always be in your favour, as will reading about the experiences of others.