After reports that a new Thai law was banning smoking inside homes, Health official Lertpanya Buranabanthit has stated that the law does not seek to prohibit smoking at home but simply seeks to protect those vulnerable to second-hand smoke.
Lertpanya, head of the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development, was prompted to clarify the law and soften its public image after social media blew up in response to the law, which will come into effect on August 20.
Most people on the internet argued that the law intrudes on their personal freedoms and privacy while in their own homes.
Despite Lertpanya’s argument that the law isn’t a total ban on smoking in homes, it does make it a punishable offense under the law if the smoking is deemed harmful to the health of other family members.
According to Thailand family law attorney Jiraporn Thongphong, the new law could in practice equate second-hand smoke to domestic abuse. But Thongphong also stated that enforcement of the law would be extremely difficult.
In cases where household smoking is considered the cause of another family member’s health problems, the smoker could be forced to stand trial in both a family and criminal court.
If found guilty, the smoker could be sent to a rehabilitation center to quell their cigarette addiction.
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