When the public health official who gave Thailand legal weed promoted a heavy-handed crackdown on electronic cigarettes this week, one couldn’t be blamed for asking: Just what was he smoking?
After all, Bangkok, like the rest of Thailand, is awash in vapes. Legions vape in broad daylight. They puff away in bars and restaurants from devices sold openly on sidewalks.
So why was health minister Anutin Charnvirakul thundering on about arresting those importing e-cigarettes? And how could something so prevalent be illegal?
The answer to the first question is, obviously, electoral politics. Anutin desperately wants to be prime minister and is trying to burnish his credentials with the drugs-are-bad block of voters salty about his backdoor decriminalization of cannabis.
But we’re not here to talk about Anutin’s political future. We’re here to talk about…
