Thai Vape User Numbers Rose More Than 11-Fold in Three Years, Group Says Ban Should Be Reassessed

Key Takeaways

• A Thai e-cigarette user network has called on the new government to review the vape ban.
• The group cited National Statistical Office data showing user numbers rose from 78,742 in 2021 to about 900,000 in 2024.
• It said the number of users increased more than 11-fold over three years.
• The group’s representative said the current national user total is believed to be more than 2 million.
• The network said the ban leaves the state without effective tools to regulate product quality, age restrictions and health information.

2Firsts, March 27, 2026

According to Matichon, a network of e-cigarette users in Thailand has urged the country’s new government to review the vape ban, saying official data show that use has risen sharply despite more than a decade of prohibition.

National Statistical Office figures show user numbers rose from 78,742 to about 900,000

The group cited National Statistical Office figures, saying the number of e-cigarette users increased from 78,742 in 2021 to about 900,000 in 2024, an increase of more than 11 times in three years, even though e-cigarettes remained illegal throughout that period.

The network said these figures clearly show that the blanket ban did not achieve its aim of controlling use and instead pushed activity outside state regulation.

The group said the ban has not reduced demand and has left the market without regulatory tools

The comments were made by Asa Saligupta, a representative of the network and a former member of a special parliamentary committee on e-cigarette laws. He spoke after reports that Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was preparing to submit the proposed “Anutin 2” Cabinet list for royal endorsement.

Asa Saligupta said that if the ban policy had truly worked, the number of users should have fallen rather than rising into the hundreds of thousands under strict enforcement. He added that the number of users is currently believed to be more than 2 million nationwide.

The network said rising use under the ban shows that consumer demand remains, while the state has no tools to regulate the market, including controls on product quality, buyer age limits and accurate health information.

The network said crackdowns have not been shown to reduce users and that 40,000 sales websites were blocked

The group also said the illegal e-cigarette market increases public health risks because the state cannot properly verify sources, check product standards or prevent youth access, unlike cigarettes and alcoholic drinks, which are regulated under clear legal frameworks.

According to the report, crackdowns over the past one to two years have led to many arrests and seizures, but there is still no evidence that they have reduced user numbers. Asa Saligupta also referred to a recent Customs Department briefing stating that e-cigarettes are smuggled in for sale every day to the point that officials cannot keep up.

He also said that although the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society blocked as many as 40,000 e-cigarette sales websites in the first five months of fiscal year 2026, the action has not been very effective and has only created a burden for officials without establishing any other mechanism to protect consumers or public safety.

The network said its call for policy review is not intended to promote e-cigarette use, but to urge the government to use data to design a more effective approach, including bringing the existing market under state regulation to reduce harm to society.

Asa Saligupta added that under the previous government, a special House committee studied the effects of the e-cigarette ban “in all dimensions” and proposed three options, with the most supported being to legalise all types of e-cigarettes and regulate them strictly.

Image source: Matichon